


Dance in the Dark

by sky_fish



Category: Arashi (Band), Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Host Clubs, Light Bondage, M/M, Romance, Smut, mention of minor side-character's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:33:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26375800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_fish/pseuds/sky_fish
Summary: "If things with girls don't work out, why not try something new?" - To cheer up Aiba after his now ex-girlfriend cheated on him, his best friend takes him to his favourite host club in town. The special thing about this host club? It's a gay host club. The problem? Aiba isn't gay. Or at least, that's what he believes, until he meets popular host Jun who tries to convince him of the contrary.
Relationships: Aiba Masaki/Matsumoto Jun, Ninomiya Kazunari/Sakurai Sho
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yukitsubute](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukitsubute/gifts).



> Originally written for yukitsubute in the 2016 Aibaexchange. Big thanks to the super lovely kittykaty, wendyjoly and jtaytt for support and beta-reading of this story!

It did not happen often, that Aiba Masaki was the first person showing up in the office on a Monday morning. Usually, he would storm in the last minute, with his typical coffee to go in his hand that he would almost spill onto his sitting neighbour, but today he was ridiculously early.

In fact, this was the first time since he started working here at "KMM Ltd.", that he could actually enjoy each sip of his coffee in silence in this usually busy department while looking at the posters on display, showing the ads their company had designed over the last few years. There was a poster, showing a young upcoming female idol with a gorgeous smile on her face and a bottle of the latest skincare product from a popular make-up manufacturer. Besides, a poster showing a group of three high schoolers running underneath a rain of cherry blossoms, advertising a home tutoring company. 

It kind of felt good to sit here and review the fruits of their hard work, Aiba thought and he couldn't help but mirror the smile of a child playing happily with a dog which apparently was just discharged from an animal hospital after successful treatment. Maybe, Aiba should come in early more often. However, the reason for him being there was that he had not been able to sleep (in) properly today and it was sadly of a rather not so pleasant reason. On top of that, another poster, showing a young woman advertising a new shampoo reminded Aiba of his disastrous weekend with a stab right into his heart. Damned. She still looked so pretty… how could such a wicked woman look so damned pretty?! Suddenly, Aiba's coffee tasted more like dishwater than café latte. He cringed.

Yeah, Aiba definitely had seen better weekends in his life and so he was even happy to return to work and to distract himself from a bunch of stressful thoughts. Well, he _would_ be if he would be able to focus properly. Probably, he should ask his boss, if it was OK to remove the poster showing that woman...

Lost in thoughts, Aiba didn't notice how the office slowly but surely filled up with his colleagues, some of them surprised to see Aiba so early, but apparently, nobody dared to ask what has gotten into him. 

The man was still busy, questioning himself over and over again, where it had gone wrong, what he had done wrong to cause this outcome. But he couldn't find an answer and sighed deeply instead. Then, when he lifted his paper cup to his lips to take another sip of coffee, giving the taste a second chance, he finally realized the presence of another man, towering in front of his desk, his arms crossed, his pulpous lips pursed and a frown lining his forehead.

"Aiba, in my office!" the man growled strictly, nodding in the direction of a nearby door.

Aiba jumped up, saluting, and replied in a loud voice. "Yes, Sir!" before he followed his boss into his office under the shocked eyes of his colleagues.

After closing the door behind him, Aiba turned around, chuckling, a broad smile on his face. "They probably think now that you're going to fire me. Why so serious, Sho-chan?"

Aiba nonchalantly took the seat in front of the boss desk, crossing his knees and bedding his folded hands on his lap. He didn't dare to look into the other man's eyes though, who was now leaning slightly forward against his desk. Instead, Aiba averted his gaze and let his eyes rest on the silver nameplate standing at the table’s edge, reading the name. Sakurai Sho, CEO.

"That should be my question, Masaki," Sho replied, sighing.

Hearing the worry in the man's voice, Aiba finally looked up. The corners of his lips were twitching strangely. "What? I'm smiling, see? Smiling."

But he could feel that his smile didn’t reach his eyes and of course, his boss could see right through him. He could never fool that man, because more than his boss, Sho was first and foremost Aiba's best friend since college.

"Don't try so hard, Masaki," Sho said in a soft voice. "You look devastated... it's heart-breaking. So, I guess it didn't work out?"

Aiba shook his head, "It didn't but... wasn't it to be expected, right? There was no other choice."

"So, you guys broke up?"

"Of course, we broke up," Aiba replied in a serious tone. " _I_ broke up with _her_ , to be exact. You know that I could forgive a lot of things but cheating?!" he chuckled, but the pain of his heart spoke through. "No... no way."

Sho leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed again. He nodded. "I think it was the right choice. You deserve someone better. I'm sorry that it turned out like this. You've been so sure that you two were meant to each other…" 

"Well, apparently, she was of another opinion," Aiba rolled his eyes. "Or at least we didn't share the same view about monogamy. But it can't be helped. Better I found out now than after three years of marriage, right? I guess I should better focus on more important things in life." The man tried to smile again. It turned out quite crooked.

"More important than love?" Sho asked, a challenging smirk on his lips. He knew exactly that Aiba was the type who _needed_ love. At least, he had a lot to give. Usually.

Aiba pushed his fist slightly up, nodding as he looked at it, determined. "Of course, work!"

Sho couldn't help but laugh. "I'm surprised to hear that from _you_ but I appreciate your efforts."

"Well, I have enough of love, thank you."

"Don't say that, Aiba!" Sho smiled, warmly. "Remember? You're the one who once told me to be brave and search for love in this world although I've only been in love with my job for years."

"...And do you think it's worth it?" Aiba asked his friend with a sad look on his face. 

"It's not easy but I want to believe yes. At least, I know that you are a wonderful person and the one loved by you is very lucky. You're very positive, you're fun, you're supportive. And I owe you big. Thanks to you I gave _love_ a try too," the CEO reached his hand up to rub his neck. He tilted his head, cutely, his cheeks slightly blushing. "And maybe... I found it."

Ok, _that_ was enough to make Aiba curious. "Oho? Don't tell me -" It was seldom to see his friend like this, suddenly all shy and red. Aiba's eyes widened as he jumped to conclusions. "Sho-chan! Oh my God!"

Sho frowned and bit his lips, but the cute smile on his face couldn't be hidden. "I'm sorry to bring this up now that you've just broken up with your ex."

"Don't joke with me! It's fine, it's completely fine, I'm so happy for you!" Aiba said and indeed, his eyes were glowing from joy. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that you're dating someone?! It's been ages!"

"Hm… technically, we're not dating in the conventional sense… yet," Sho replied, tilting his head.

"But you're getting there?" his friend asked, persistently.

"Well, there's not much to tell yet, so -" obviously embarrassed, Sho seemed to want to get away from this topic now. Just when Aiba wanted to tell him that there was no chance _not_ to tell him all the details, Sho pulled a box out of a plastic bag under the table and placed it on top of his desk. "Ah, what about breakfast? I bought some doughnuts -"

"Shooo-chaaaan, you killjoy!" Aiba groaned, but when Sho opened the lid of the box and revealed several delicious looking doughnuts, gesturing his friend to choose, it was hard for him to stay focused. "Don't change the topic now, what do you think I... Oh my, that one with chocolate glaze and sprinkles looks delicious!"

"You can take as many as you like," Sho flashed Aiba a smile.

"Thank you!" Aiba reached out for the chocolate glazed doughnut with sprinkles with one hand and with the other, he chose one with white topping and coco's flakes. "Ahhh, anyway, back to the topic. Tell me more~!"

Sho took a big bite from one of the doughnuts, his eyes widening in surprise a second later. "Oh, this one is filled with banana crème, I didn't expect that!"

"Come on, you can't fool me, you've started this after all!"

"I'm sorry, Aiba, it's just... a bit complicated. I'll tell you next time. Now – after you finished your doughnuts - work! We've got a lot of assignments to do!" Sho said, enthusiastically, after finishing his doughnut with another big bite and licking his fingers. "The last business dinner was a full success - Kirin wants us as their new ad contract partners and we will start with proposing a set of 4 new TV commercials and related posters similar to the concept we showed them in our presentation."

"Really?! That's awesome!"

"This is a summary of my ideas and some first draft storyboards." Sho fished for a stack of folders that he pushed over the desk towards Aiba. 

The man put down his doughnuts and curiously opened the folder to browse through the papers. He stopped at a page showing one of Sho's _storyboards_ and tried hard not to burst out into laughter. 

"Nice try, Sho-chan. What's that supposed to be?" Aiba pointed at one of the pictures.

"A cat," his friend stated as a matter of fact.

"A cat...," Aiba replied and squinted, trying hard to recognize the said animal, just to give up a few seconds later. Well, Aiba appreciated the effort Sho – who was just a terrible artist – always put into drawing the storyboards, even if they were almost impossible to figure out what he wanted to show in most cases. 

"Anyway," Sho cleared his throat, downplaying his failure. "You're in for this project. And tell Kato and Kitagawa to show up in meeting room B at 11 too, will you? I'll see you guys there then."

"Sure, Boss," Aiba made his half-joke salute gesture again, collected the folders and his doughnuts before he got up from his seat and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Masaki?" Sho held him back, causing his friend to look back.

"Hm?" the man asked muffled through one of the doughnuts he had pushed into his mouth just now.

"I'll take down the poster with her. And once we have the Kirin campaign ready, we'll hang up your favourite poster there instead."

"Thanks, Sho," Aiba smiled. 

"And after work… maybe you should come with me," Sho added.

Aiba swallowed down his bite. "Eh? Another business dinner?"

"No, this time it's private." 

Aiba frowned but then, it dawned on him. Maybe Sho had changed his mind and indeed wanted to talk about the details of his supposed to be _date_ in the evening? The man smiled, satisfies. "Oh, OK, sure. Then... see you later!" 

* + *

Aiba expected Sho to take him out to his favourite Ramen restaurant around the corner after they finished work but to his surprise, he found himself on the back seat of a taxi, next to his friend, heading to Shinjuku and soon, they were exiting the taxi in front of the entrance of a club. The shield hanging above the entrance showed a delicate pink and green flower ornament on black background, kind of flashy, but still stylish, Aiba had to admit. Underneath – the name of the club in bold shiny letters, and the fine print, literally. Host club. Men only.

The windows of the club were covered in black and in front of the entrance, there was a foldable blackboard, displaying some products and prices written in white chalk in beautiful handwriting. All in all, it looked like a very stylish and upper-class club. Aiba would be excited to enter this location, however, spotting the clientèle, he was getting a bit nervous. There was already a small queue in front of the club, all-male, from different generations, most of them dressed in business suits, some of them were even dressed up in a bit fancier clothes. Well, considering the part of the city they were in, probably nothing should surprise Aiba.

"Come on, let's line up," Sho told his friend. "Don't worry, they don't usually let new people inside but you're here with me, so it won't be a problem."

"You must be kidding me…," Aiba murmured, not sure if he should sigh or laugh out loud.

"No, I'm very serious," Sho replied, crashing his hopes that this all had been a bad joke and that they would turn on their heels and walk a few streets further, out of this part of the district. 

Checking his friend out who was standing right next to him, Aiba could see that indeed, Sho made a serious effort about all this here. At work, the man had changed from his white shirt and trousers into a fancier outfit, just before they had left. His black jacket shouldered, he was also wearing a flashy necktie, a small diamond on his left ear, and his hair was even styled with an extra handful of hair gel. From a neutral point of view, Aiba had to admit that Sho was very handsome and – compared to his usually stricter appearance at work – he looked very relaxed and, yeah… expectant.

"But seriously, Sho, Ni-Choume?!" Aiba asked, referring to their whereabouts, slightly nervously looking down at himself, brushing his shirt. He felt extremely underdressed now in his boring pair of jeans and a green t-shirt, especially, considering the area his friend had brought him to – _the_ district in Tokyo where _every_ guy would judge you as a fashion failure. He couldn't believe it. In all of the places in the world, Sho brought him here. Why?!

Sho raised a challenging eyebrow. "What?" he asked, picking at his neck-tie once more to make sure it was sitting in its right place before he flashed Aiba a broad smile. "You know, I thought if things with girls don't work out for you, why not try something new?"

When a small group of men passed their way and one of them whistled while sending a wink in their (probably Sho's) direction, Aiba thought that it was the right time to let out a huge sigh. He turned to his friend, who – even if he did not return the greeting of the stranger – looked slightly happy with the compliment he received. 

"Sho-chan," Aiba started, brushing his hair out of his forehead. "You know it's not that I don't accept your preferences, really, I do and I encourage you in whatever you want to do but just because things with Asami didn't work out, doesn't mean…"

"You're an experimental guy, aren't you?"

Experimental, well, Aiba usually enjoyed trying out new things, but the one thing he had never questioned yet, was his sexuality. "It doesn't mean, you see, I don't feel like clubbing or whatever. I just broke up with my girlfriend after all!"

" _Ex_ -girlfriend," Sho corrected him as he finally pulled his friend with him moving with the line. "And _break-up_. Aren't those trigger words for going out and having fun to forget the sad things in life?"

"But in -," Aiba leaned towards his friend to whisper the next words, "The gayest place in Tokyo?"

"Masaki, we're only here to have fun, I didn’t say you have to go flirt with guys. In fact, I just want to show you my _oasis_ because for _me_ this worked wonders. It's thanks to you and your support for many years, that I was able to accept who I am and I'm not only your boss but also your best friend," Sho said, putting his hand on Aiba's shoulder to show his friend how serious he was. "It's my obligation to help you out in hard times."

"Hard times…," Aiba repeated, frowning critically.

"Oh, sorry, that wasn't meant to be a pun," Sho chuckled.

Aiba laughed. "For a moment, I almost panicked."

Sho softly punched Aiba against his shoulder. "Come on, Masaki. Relax and let yourself be told by some hot guys that you're a handsome bastard. Believe me, gay or not, it will push your ego." 

"So this is how you like being called? _Handsome bastard_?" Aiba arched an eyebrow as he tried not to burst out in laughter. 

His friend chuckled and before his friend could say even more, he added, "If you don't do it for the hot guys, then do it for the drinks. I swear you'll die happy! Their barkeeper is the best! His _15th Moon_ is like heaven and if you want something really fancy, then I recommend the _Cosmos_ to you."

Aiba had to admit that a good drink could probably lift his spirits again, no matter if he was taking it in a gay host club or not. "But seriously, the name - _Lotus_?" Aiba read out loud the letters on the entrance sign. 

"What? I think it's stylish," Sho replied, pursing his lips.

"I bet it's exactly what it promises," Aiba said, narrowing his eyes.

"Better!" Sho said with glittering eyes and a knowing smirk on his lips.

* + *

Aiba couldn't help but gape like an idiot once the two friends entered the location. While the club already looked like a fine and chic place from outside, it was even more so inside. Contrary to what Aiba had expected a gay host club to look like (for some reason he had lots of pink and glitter in mind, with a group of half-naked men in tiger strings and black leather strips, partying through the club), the reality was beyond classy. 

The interior was dark but the place did not look unfriendly. There were several tables, big and small, with comfortable looking sofas and chairs arranged around them. Some of them were separated with walls that built up to about a third of a room, to create a bit more privacy. Pillows in the same colours as the logo of the club were decorated around the space, people were chatting cheerfully. The clientele was a variety of what Aiba would classify as "upper-class people". All of them looked like well-earning businessmen, he even spotted a celebrity and when he wanted to point at him, Sho hissed at him to keep secrets or he would never be allowed in here again. At the left side of the room, there was a stage with several instruments and other equipment ready to be used, a young man with black hair was already sitting at the piano and playing a nice song that filled the air. On the opposite wall, there was an impressive bar, showing an incredible choice of alcoholic beverages behind the back of a bartender. At the back of the room, there was an even more private looking area. 

The employees of the location – without exception were all handsome men, Aiba had to admit - didn't stand out in a negative way, but they were all dressed in a more or less uniform way. The same black suits, combined with shirts in various pastel colours underneath, and each of their outfits pimped up in an individual style with neckties, bows, or handkerchiefs in the same colour of their shirts but in much flashier or darker shades. These little details were like sparkles in the generally dark atmosphere, like small lights shining on an anonymous ocean. The acoustic level was nice, chatter could be heard lying under the live music, not too much, but showing that the club was well visited.

Aiba didn't dare to step inside and go for one of the empty tables, feeling too impressed and awestruck by the scenery. And he was feeling even more underdressed than before, even if Sho ensured him that there was no official dress code here and that he looked fine, not without teasing him for being vain.

Suddenly, someone bumped against Aiba from behind and he would have lost balance if Sho wasn't there to catch his arm. Confused, Aiba turned around just to find the probably most beautiful man on earth standing there and looking at him, immediately biting his incredibly soft-looking lips. 

"I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you?" the man asked, slightly touching Aiba's arm.

Aiba backed off a little, caught in surprise by the sudden touch and continued staring at the man. He was just a little bit shorter than he was, his eyes and hair were of dark colour and there were a couple of eye-catching moles surrounding his beautiful lips. The lilac long sleeves shirt he was wearing underneath his suit's jacket exposed his neck and collarbones slightly, the dark purple neck-tie around his collar was loosened. Seriously, Aiba had never been into men, but _that_ man was a beauty that could compete with every model on earth. Were all people in this club that beautiful?!

"You're OK?"

"Oh, I – I'm fine, don't worry," Aiba replied with a smile when he realized that he had been staring instead of answering the man's question.

"Good, take care, then," the other replied, his eyes running down and up Aiba's figure with a look the man couldn't interpret. His lips curled up into a smile, showing his teeth – which looked beautiful too, by the way -, "See you later, maybe." 

The good-looking man locked eyes with Aiba for one last time and then he went deeper inside the club, taking a seat at one of the larger tables where a couple of businessmen were drinking and laughing. 

"Ooooh," Aiba heard Sho's voice cooing next to him. "Looks like you already got the attention of one of the top hosts here."

"What?! I did not… he just bumped into me and apologized, that's all!" Aiba explained, slightly panicking. He wasn't interested in becoming the target of a host, thank you very much. He was here for the drinks and to keep Sho company, that's all. 

"Sho-chan, welcome," a man who apparently surfaced from nowhere greeted the man with a polite nod and a beaming smile, saving Aiba from the conversation. "Here for the usual?"

"Kei-chan," Sho returned the smile at the man with purple necktie – obviously one of the club's employees. "Good evening. Yes. I placed my wish already in advance through e-mail."

It was then when the guy called Kei-chan let his look fall onto Aiba, smiling at him, explicitly. "I heard from Uepi you're not alone today, will you introduce your friend to me, Sho-chan?"

"This is my dear friend and colleague Aiba Masaki. Masaki – Kei-chan, he is one of the waiters here," Sho introduced them to each other.

"Uepi?" Aiba asked, turned to his friend, frowning, after he and the host exchanged a friendly greeting.

"You remember? The security guy outside who looked at you as if he wanted to eat you."

"Because I said he doesn't look like a security guy at all...," Aiba murmured.

Kei-chan laughed. "Oh oh… you better don't underestimate our Uepi, he used to be a pro-boxer in the junior league. Even if he doesn't look too strong, his punch is no joke!"

"I guess I'm lucky then, that he only told me that I'm horribly underdressed," Aiba chuckled, rubbing his neck, embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry, it's fine, it's your first time, you're forgiven and may I add that your butt looks incredible in jeans," Kei-chan said, winking at Abia, who blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment. "More important, Sho-chan, how could you hide such a beauty from us for so long?"

Trying not to laugh at Aiba's gaping reaction from Kei-chan's words, Sho cleared his throat before he explained. "I would have tried to bring him here earlier, but he was taken until yesterday and he's not used to… guys, you know?"

"Oh, a _newbie_ with a broken heart, I see… You brought him here to help to cure him?"

"At least for me this place always has healing powers," Sho said and with a soft smile on his lips, he let his look drift towards the stage. For a moment, Aiba was wondering, if his friend was just looking around or if he was looking explicitly at the young man sitting at the piano. 

"Let me guide you to your table, gentlemen," Kei-chan showed Aiba and Sho their way to a table in the back, with a good view of the stage. "I'll go get you some water, to begin with, and the drinks menu. He'll be with you soon, Sho-chan," the host nodded towards the stage and winked at the man, who nodded.

"Thank you."

It didn't take even two minutes before two glasses of water were placed on the table in front of Sho and Aiba. Both were handed the menus and told to take their time to choose. Aiba was impressed by the variety of drinks listed in the stylish menu, most of them unheard of, and it wasn't that he was new to drinking. The names of the drinks stood out mostly because they were fun, smart, probably even slightly suggestive at some points. There was a drink called _Monochrome_ , seemingly an alcoholic drink with coffee liqueur and milk, the _Spiral_ that sounded like something you would definitely wake up to with a hangover. Or the _Trap_ , a drink belonging to the same killer category. Then there was chilli and pepper spicing up _Breathless_ , the mysterious _15th Moon_ Sho had talked about as well as the fruity and extremely sweet-sounding _Cosmos_ which promised you the stars, among others. 

After a couple of minutes, while Aiba was still busy studying the menu, Sho had already set his aside and returned to focus on the stage, listening to the singer at the piano. He was wearing a soft smile on his face and the expression of his eyes was something that made Aiba wonder what exactly it was. He knew that Sho was a music lover and he once learned to play the piano, even if he claimed not to be talented at all. He probably admired the musician. Or was it more? Was that musician his type? Aiba had to admit, even if he had encouraged Sho in his choice of coming out as gay, he had never really paid much attention to his friend's love life and had no idea what exactly Sho preferred, who was his type, and details as such. Sho had always been secretive about this stuff, contrary to Aiba who poured his heart out in front of Sho with a couple of beers for a couple of times already in the past. It was surprising and interesting at the same time to finally be given the chance to look a bit deeper into this side of Sho's life. However, Aiba didn't expect _this_. Well, he didn't even know _what_ to expect, but this was a surprise. More than interested or turned on or whatever guests in a host club looked like, Sho looked much more... affectionate.

Probably, Aiba's curiosity was a bit too much, because shortly after, Sho seemed to realize that his friend was watching him. He chuckled shortly, blushing as if Aiba had caught him red-handed. Then he leaned towards his friend.

"Uhm… You see the guy up there?" Sho asked, pointing at the young man on stage.

Surprised, Aiba gaped at his friend. Either, they had just communicated via thoughts, or it had really been too obvious that he was observing Sho. 

"Yeah," Aiba nodded slowly. "He's good with the piano, isn't he? And he has a nice voice."

" _And_ he is the genius who wrote that song by himself," Sho added with a smile, his look filled with pride. Aiba frowned, not understanding the connection between the – indeed impressive – stated fact and his friend's delight.

"Ah, really?! Wow, he's talented," Aiba said, deciding to keep the conversation going to see where it would lead to. "But it's a sad song, isn't it?"

"He also has some more cheerful songs, but probably, he's not in the mood for them tonight," Sho said. "Anyway, you see, the hosts here are all special. They aren't only _hosts_ , all of them have some special talents. They can sing, dance, some of them can do acrobatics, some of them are very funny, and all of them can show their talents up there on stage if they aren't booked yet."

"Booked?" Aiba frowned.

"Well, when you want them to sit at your table and talk to you and such… you have to _book_ them if you want someone special," Sho explained. "Otherwise you get someone _random_ who's free at the moment."

"You sound like a pro in _booking hosts_ ," Aiba chuckled. "So, you come here frequently?"

"I do."

"I'm surprised."

"Well, it helps me to come down from the stress at work and everything," Sho smiled. "For a few hours, I can forget everything and just… enjoy what I like."

Still, something didn't sit well for Aiba. "Wait, this… this doesn't make sense to me. You looked so happy this morning that I thought you're dating someone. So why are you coming to a host club?"

"I told you it's not really _dating_ ," Sho sighed. Now, he looked a bit stressed, again his look darted into the direction of the stage. "Oh, he finished."

Sho and Aiba, alongside the whole club, applauded the singing pianist who was now standing in the middle of the stage and bowing, sending a grateful smile throughout the audience. Sho whistled and cheered loudly, surprising Aiba who was just clapping his hands next to his friend. He took the chance again to look at the man on stage. If he could even be called a _man_ , admittedly – at least from the distance – he looked _very_ young. He was quite small, his black hair was styled so that his bangs were out of his forehead, and his smile had something charming. That must be a host's number one skill, Aiba thought, considering that every host here he had seen so far had a really nice smile. The black suit he was wearing was complimenting his slim figure and a golden-yellow striped necktie was catching everyone's eyes. Then, the man stepped down a few stairs and made his way through the audience, who was still clapping and whistling zealously. In the background, Aiba could see another host getting ready for his show. Some guests reached out to shake hands with the pianist, who complied to everyone with a friendly smile, however, he didn't sit down at any of the tables. Instead…

"Wait, is he coming towards us?" Aiba asked surprised as he realized where the man's path seemed to guide him.

"Yes," Sho replied, clearing his throat. He sounded a bit nervous. "Because I booked him."

"Oh!" It dawned on Aiba.

Sho curled his lips into a smile. He looked happy. "He's my favourite and I'm his regular."

"Ohhh, I see," Aiba quickly sent a look at the host who was approaching them, wearing his charming smile, before he looked back to his friend. "That… that's nice," but then, something raised a red flag. "Wait, is _he_ the one you're _dating_?"

"As I said, it's not exactly _dating_ , it's…," Sho sighed but wasn't able to finish the sentence as the host finally reached their table and the two friends were interrupted.

"Sho-chan, thanks for waiting," the piano player said, took a seat right next to Sho and _kissed_ him on the cheek. His eyes emanated a warm and calm aura, which seemed to lull Sho in immediately.

"For you, always. You've been gorgeous," the man replied and the host allowed him to quickly peck his lips.

Aiba blushed. Even if he knew that this was just part of the host's job and that Sho probably especially "booked" that "service" when Aiba saw his friend becoming all flush and cute with that man, he suddenly felt like he was witnessing something very intimate and averted his eyes.

"Thanks," the host replied, flashing another enchanting smile at his guest before his eyes drifted off towards Aiba who quickly set up straight on his spot on the couch. "As I can see, you're not alone tonight."

Aiba wasn't sure if he imagined things or if the look of Sho's favourite had suddenly turned a bit critical. If those two were dating for real, Aiba would even dare to interpret that host's behaviour as jealously.

"May I introduce," Sho started, gesturing to his right. "This is my best friend and colleague at work, Aiba Masaki. Aiba, this is Nino."

The host – Nino – was now back to all smiles. "Pleased to meet you, Aiba-san. Your first time here?"

Aiba nodded. "Yeah, uhm… that was a nice song."

"Thank you. How is it, did you take a liking to one of my colleagues already?"

"Ah, you have misunderstood, I'm not here to -" Aiba tilted his head slightly, his eyes falling onto Sho and Nino's hands which were linked between them. 

"He's here for the drinks," Sho chimed in.

"That's what _you_ said too when you came here for the first time," Nino chuckled, slightly bumping his shoulder against Sho's. "Anyway, shall we order? Have you chosen already?"

"I thought to start with the _15th Moon_ ," Sho said. "And for you, Nino, the usual?"

The host nodded. "Yeah, a _Dandelion_ please."

Sho sighed. "When will you ever drink something alcoholic with me?"

"Hm," Nino tilted his head, sending a mysterious look to his guest. "On your birthday perhaps? And believe, me, if you want me to be good later on, it's better if I'm not drunk."

Aiba was torn between wanting to disappear to give those two men a bit more privacy, and exploding from curiosity. In the end, he couldn't help but ask. "Later on?"

Sho blushed, as he snapped his head to Aiba, looking a bit surprised at him as if he had forgotten for a moment that his friend was present. "Uhm, well…"

Fortunately, Nino was able to jump in to save him. "Aiba-san, have you chosen a drink?"

"Eh? I, hm... the same like Sho-chan."

"So, two _15th Moon_ s and one _Dandelion_. Kei-chan!" Nino lifted his hand and the waiter who guided Sho and Aiba to their table before, appeared right next to them again to take their order with a friendly smile.

While they were waiting for their drinks to arrive, Nino started a conversation with the two men, asking them things such as, how they met and what was their connection at work, if they landed any more big deals and stuff like that. It sounded a bit strange to Aiba's ears, hearing a host talking about his guests' jobs. At least from visiting a club with female hosts some years ago – it appeared to the man that hosts were more likely to choose more trivial topics to distract their guests' thoughts from their daily life – work included. 

But then, considering _who_ Nino's guest was – namely Sakurai Sho who loved his job nearly as much as his life, apparently – and seeing how enthusiastically Sho started talking about some new deals of their advertising company and some ideas he had recently, it soon made sense to Aiba why the host chose that topic. He must know Sho quite well already. Nino tried his best to integrate Aiba too into their conversation, however, whenever Sho and Nino's eyes met, Aiba felt like he was completely locked out of a world that only those two were sharing. For some reason, this started to trouble him.

Their drinks came and Aiba soon found out that Sho had not over-promised when he praised the drinks as extremely delicious. Well, considering how much they cost, Aiba expected some high-class drinks, he didn't expect his taste buds to explode from enjoyment, though. That _15th Moon_ would definitely land on the top of his favourite drinks list!

The conversation soon turned from work to other topics. Nino - obviously knowing Sho's likings, Aiba was convinced about that now – asked his guest if he found any new interesting restaurant or café which pleased the gourmet's tongue. Sho started recommending some things to the host, dropping not only once the line "I'll treat you if you come there with me" which the host declined politely, chuckling as he repeated that Sho _knew_ they couldn't meet outside of this environment. Sho joked that he would pay Nino a host fee if he came with him, however, Aiba couldn't help but notice how his friend was saddened by the rejection, although he kept on laughing and tried to hide his disappointment behind his usual smile. 

This was wrong, Aiba thought.

About thirty minutes later, Nino excused himself for a few minutes, heading into the direction of the toilet. Aiba immediately took the chance and turned towards his friend, giving him a concerned look. Sho, taking another sip from his drink, only arched a questioning eyebrow.

Without even thinking of taking a softer approach, Aiba burst out, "You're _in love_ with that guy, aren't you?" 

Sho coughed, almost spilling his drink in surprise. 

"What?! Aiba!" the man yelped. "What are you talking about?!"

"Don't lie to me, Sho, it's so obvious and your comment this morning," Aiba said in a harsh voice, squinting his eyes and Sho pursed his lips, without protesting any further, returning to his drink.

Aiba sighed deeply before he turned to his friend again. "Let me summarize this just to make sure I understand it correctly," he then started. "This is a host club and you – as a guest – pay a particular host for spending time with you and for being nice to you and... stuff like that, correct?"

Sho sighed. "Correct."

"So you _know_ that for _him_ it's about the money, right?" Aiba asked further, obviously referring to Nino.

"Well...," Sho straightened his posture, facing his friend with a serious look. "He _needs_ the money and I want to help him. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?" the man tried to convince his friend, but his voice didn't sound as strong as he might want it to.

"But you're _seriously_ having a crush on him!" Aiba said in a worried voice. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're taking it a bit too far here."

"Maybe," Sho admitted, scratching his neck. "But maybe... maybe he has a crush on me too." 

"Did he _say_ that?!" Aiba frowned.

"Well..."

"Even _if_ , you're _paying_ him for it, of course he says that, oh my Gosh, Sho!" Aiba shook his head.

"Masaki, look -"

"What are you expecting, that he quits his job to become your _boyfriend_?!" Aiba wasn't stopping anymore. He reached for Sho's arms, holding him stable as he tried to get some rationality back into his friend. "Sorry Sho, but wake up! You're completely blinded!"

But Sho could be stubborn. 

"Oh come on," he said. "You only think that love is dead because your ex cheated on you."

And he knew which words would hurt Aiba the most. Aiba gulped. That was the dark side of being best friends with someone. That person doesn't only know what makes you strong and happy, that person also knows where to hit. Thankfully, Sho usually wasn't the type to do so and probably, Aiba's words were just too harsh right now. But he knew, he was right and so, Aiba decided not to let Sho's words affect him too much for now. Instead, he had to get his friend out of all this, before it was too late.

"But… He's most likely a liar!" Aiba said, now shaking his friend's shoulders.

"Stupid," Sho grunted, brushing off Aiba's hands. "He's not!"

"But -"

"Excuse me," Nino suddenly cut Aiba's voice. "I don't mean to interrupt you guys but is everything OK?"

"Nino," Sho said. "Of course, don't worry, we're just discussing something."

"Discussing...," Aiba repeated before he stood up. "I'm sorry Nino but would you excuse us? Sho, I think we have to go and talk this out. Now."

"What? No, I'm staying," Sho replied, grabbing Nino's hand and pulling the host to sit down next to him. "We can talk later if you wish."

Aiba gaped at his friend. He couldn't believe it. "Ok, ok, fine," he snorted. "As you _wish_. Then I guess, I should leave, I don't want to disturb you two any further."

"Fine," Sho retorted. "Then I guess we'll see each other tomorrow morning."

"Don't get yourself a hangover," Aiba added before he turned on his heels and stormed away. 

Good that Sho was his friend in the first place, more than his boss, Aiba thought, knowing that he had probably sounded brasher than needed in front of the other, but if Sho didn't want Aiba's help, then probably, he shouldn't force it. Or at least not right now. Aiba meant what he said, he would go back to Sho with that topic another time. It was fine for Sho to be in love, but seriously, Aiba wanted him to be _happy_ , not to get caught in a guest - host relationship, having a crush on a host, without hope for a real relationship! Somehow, Aiba was disappointed in his friend. Usually, Sho was the more reasonable one between the two of them, not him. It was very unlikely for him to fall into a trap like this. What the hell did this host do to him?!

Aiba was so worked up, making his way through the crowd and heading towards the exit, that he didn't pay proper attention to his surroundings. He probably shouldn't even be surprised when his escape ended up in bumping into another man, who apparently just came out of the toilets next to the exit.

"Wow wow, careful!" the man exclaimed, whirling around.

"I'm sorry," Aiba stopped, turning to face his victim, who thankfully didn't fall down or anything. His eyes trailed up the lilac dress shirt and purple unknotted neck-tie and soon he spotted those cheeky moles around the man's lips, he recognized the face of the beautiful host from his first bumping accident of the evening. "Oh!"

Judging from the look in the host's eyes, the man seemed to recognize Aiba too. "Hey newbie, why in such a hurry? Couldn't you wait to see me again?" he asked with a cheeky smile on his lips.

"I'm really sorry," Aiba repeated, quickly lowering his head before he resumed walking. "I need to get out of here."

"Wait!" the host said and reached his hand to grab Aiba's arm softly. "Is everything OK? Did you fight with your friend?" the host asked in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Did you spy on me or something?" Aiba frowned.

"Sorry, I just can't help but people watch, especially such a handsome one like you," _now_ there was a smirk on the man's lips.

Aiba rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter me and get out of my way, please. I'm not here to flirt –"

Quickly, the host whirled around Aiba, standing right in front of him, blocking the way outside. "What are you here for, then?" the host challenged Aiba with an arched eyebrow.

"I was just here to accompany Sho-chan for a drink, that's all," Aiba said annoyed.

"Oh, _Sho-chan_ said that too when he came here for the first time," the host chuckled before he pointed to the back of the club. "And now look at him – oh, you better don't."

But it was too late, Aiba had already turned around and even if it was quite dark, he could see Nino literally sitting on Sho's lap now, his head lowered over the other who laid back against the couch and completely drowned out of this world in a kiss. Aiba took a deep breath and blushed at that sight. Considering, that his best friend had been in the closet for so long, it was a real surprise to see Sho showing his affection towards another man so directly.

"And I thought this club isn't _such_ a club," the man said, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously guys, get a room," the host murmured between clenched teeth. "Ah, well, people try to be discrete here, however, our Nino can be _very_ passionate. I will lecture him later on, don't worry, please."

Aiba snorted. "Anyway, as you can see, Sho-chan doesn't need my company anymore so I'm free to go home."

With this, Aiba tried again to approach the club's exit, however, the host in front of him still didn't seem to be willing to let him leave. Why was he so fucking persistent!? 

"Thinking of it," the man started, "People could think you're jealous. Is there a problem with our Nino entertaining _your_ Sho-chan?"

"Please, don't misunderstand. He's not _my_ Sho-chan, we're friends, that's all, I just cannot support him to fall in love with a -" Aiba searched for a word while trying not to become too rude. Terms like "liar" or "devil" or "slut" were lying at the tip of his tongue, however, since that might be a bit too much, he decided to go with the official term "Host."

"It's probably too late for that," the host deadpanned.

"Oh, really?! I wouldn't have noticed," Aiba replied, his voice dripping with irony. "Anyway, now if you would excuse me, please –"

No. The host didn't even think about letting Aiba go. Instead, just when Aiba tried taking another step, the man enforced his blockade by slamming his hand against the wall, making it even harder for the man to continue. Aiba almost bumped against the man _again_ and for a moment, he was reminded of those insanely popular "kabe don"s which he had seen in TV dramas and manga all over recently. If he wasn't so pissed off by the whole situation, Aiba might even find it funny, probably, however, this wasn't his evening.

"Why not try our _Cosmos_ before you go?" the host suddenly suggested, making Aiba frown. "I mean, seriously, you _need_ to try our _Cosmos_ , if you plan to leave and never come back, fine, but, _try_ the _Cosmos_ , I promise, you won't regret!"

"Fine," Aiba gave in with a huge sigh. "If you let me go afterwards."

"Great!" the host beamed, showing his perfect teeth. "By the way, my name is Jun."

"Well then, Jun. One drink."

"One drink," Jun smiled.

* + *

One drink became four and in the end, Aiba had to admit that he didn't care any longer about anything. Sho could do what he wanted with that Nino, Asami could sleep around with other guys as much as she wished, it didn't concern Aiba. He couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or if it was the host’s talent, making him feel so comfortable, but eventually, Aiba even started to enjoy Jun's presence. 

Contrary to what Aiba had expected from their previous interaction, Jun surprisingly wasn't clingy or invasive at all. Maybe he was holding back since Aiba told him that it was his first evening in a gay host club. However, Aiba appreciated the consideration by the other man and started to open up a little bit. Somehow, sitting here at the bar, enjoying the indeed fabulously delicious _Cosmos_ and chatting with a stranger, had its good points too.

Once a bit drunk, the man's tongue loosened up quite a bit, and considering that he did not plan to ever come back to this club again in the future, what would he have to lose? Nothing. Therefore, he decided to make the best out of this evening. Sho might be busy – in fact, it seemed like he and Nino had left about an hour after they met to go god knows where, Aiba didn't care – but one thing his friend had definitely been right about. The hosts in this club were splendid and they knew very well how to do their job, how to adjust to their guests' needs and how to make people feel good around them. 

With time passing by, Jun pulled his high chair a bit closer to Aiba's, his body language opened up a bit more too and once in a while, their arms brushed each other, but it was OK for Aiba. He even felt like Jun was paying even more attention to him like that, listening closer, maybe understanding him a bit better.

It didn't take long before Aiba was pouring his heart out in front of Jun and the barkeeper called Ohno, who seemed to be listening to their conversation with one ear at least, while serving them drink after drink, paying attention not to miss whenever a glass became empty. Aiba told Jun about his job, his connection with Sho, and his disastrous break-up over the weekend, how disappointed he was in his ex for cheating on him and how disappointed he was with himself for not addressing the problem at an earlier stage. In fact, Aiba had known about Asami's cheating for quite a while already. And although he felt hurt after confirming his suspicion some weeks ago, it had taken him that long before he had the guts to finally confront her. 

In the end, Asami had only shrugged, calling Aiba old-fashioned for wanting to end a relationship just because she was unfaithful… In the end Aiba had pushed Asami out of his apartment, telling her through tears that he would never want to see her again and afterwards, had spent the rest of the weekend crying and sulking on his couch, wrapped in a fluffy blanket and eating ice cream, just like a school girl suffering a break-up. Yeah, he had acted big in front of Sho this morning, talking about how he would never be able to forgive cheating, but honestly, he was much more affected by the whole situation than he would dare to admit and still, he was searching for the mistakes he made, for the reason why Asami might have felt the urge to cheat on him. What did he do wrong?! 

"Maybe, it doesn't have anything to do with you," Jun suddenly suggested, causing Aiba to frown.

"How could it have _nothing_ to do with me?" the man asked.

"That Asami-girl is just really stupid, that's all," Jun stated, as a matter of fact. " _I_ would _never_ cheat on a sweetheart like you," he added, a loving smile on his face while his chin was bedded on the palm of his hand, his elbow on the bar's counter.

Aiba gulped. For a strange moment, that guy's smile hit right into his heart, making it beat faster, before Aiba averted his eyes, hoping that nobody saw the redness of his suddenly burning cheeks, and downed the rest of his drink. Almost magically, the glass was replaced immediately, and only when Aiba looked up, he realized that Ohno – with a broad grin on his face – must have been waiting for this moment.

"OK, enough of that," Aiba chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness as he took another sip from his new drink. "Now, tell me a bit more about this club and how things work here. I mean, I know I have to pay a small fortune for our drinks here, and I get that hosts here can be "booked" and such and that every host has some special talent... but I don't really know the details."

Jun laughed, and then pointed behind him, dragging Aiba's attention towards the stage, where one of the hosts was performing a mix of singing and stripping at the moment, just "leaving his hat on" (and his pants, at least for now), as the song suggested. 

"Indeed, special talent, you could call it like that," the man then said, examining the stripping host. "Kame up there for example, he's pretty lascivious, but he can move his body and a lot of people love him for that and his voice. Then, Nino, as you have seen already, he's multi-talented, you could say. He plays the piano and sings mostly but the fact is, he's also capable of various magic tricks and he's a pretty good dancer. Just that he claims to be too shy to dance in front of an audience. A few other guys and I could only persuade him for a group performance once, but alone... well, I guess that's his shy side."

"He doesn't exactly appear _shy_ to me, though," Aiba said. 

"Well, he's full of surprises," Jun smirked.

"What about you?" Aiba asked as he darted his look from the now half-naked Kame back to Jun.

"Huh?"

"What's your special talent?"

"Oh, that!" Jun chuckled. "Well, I'd say I'm not a bad dancer. And I choreograph some of the other hosts' performances together with Ohno here," he pointed at the barkeeper.

"You can dance too?!" Aiba asked the barkeeper, surprised.

"Oh if you knew how well he can dance," the host next to Aiba sighed. "I learned a lot from him already and still I feel like an amateur."

"You're not that bad, Jun," Ohno chimed in, polishing some glasses behind the counter. 

Aiba chuckled. "I admit, I'm curious now."

"Well, I am not on today's setlist but if you come again on the weekend, I might be up there, showing you what I've got."

"What a pity," Aiba chuckled. "I don't plan to come back here. And I guess, I won't be able to _book_ you anyway, even if I wanted to. I could imagine that it's quite pricey."

Jun laughed. "Well, that depends on what exactly you would like to get. An exclusive dance isn't that expensive, however, if you are looking for _more_...," Jun lifted his cocktail and took a sip, letting the tip of his tongue run over his lips to lick some of the sugar from the glass rim. 

Aiba chuckled nervously as he caught himself staring, blaming his behaviour on the alcohol. "So what exactly is _more_?" he almost regretted asking, as soon as the question left his lips.

"There are additional fees for special treatment," Jun continued. "Talking and slightly touching, performing on stage upon request, or a bit skinship usually only trigger a low fee and we let the customer decide what he wants to pay." 

"I see, similar to the western "tip" system?" Aiba asked to confirm.

"Exactly. You think it was worth your time? Show it with money. You think it was shit? Don't pay us," Jun illustrated his explanation with a shrug. "Then, of course, if you want to _kiss_ your host of choice, you have to pay a higher fee. If you want even more than that, well, then you can imagine that this might be a bit more expensive, right?"

Aiba nodded slowly, his thoughts drifting off a little. _More_ , Jun said, didn't he? If things like skinship and kissing had been mentioned before already, triggering low fees... would this _more_ mean sex? For money? Aiba shook his head. This would be prostitution, wouldn't it? 

"You're doing _such_ things for money?" Aiba asked in a low tone. Before he could really process this bit of information, his mind was running wild already, worrying for Sho being completely lost to that Nino-host, Jun pulled Aiba out of his thoughts.

"Well, most of us need the money, you see?"

Right, Aiba remembered how Sho told him that Nino "needed the money", even if Aiba was still sceptical about that. Needing money for having a fancy lifestyle and needing money for something really important were different pairs of shoes and if he was honest, looking at these fine hosts, Aiba could not imagine that they would have any other troubles than which hairstyle they should try out at their next appointment with the hairdresser.

"You're lucky, I'm free tonight or you might have to pay extra if you wanted my company," Jun said with a smirk on his lips.

Aiba cleared his throat and faked a smile. The image of that beautiful man offering _more_ to Aiba for money was strangely alluring and disturbing at the same time. Aiba wasn't the type for such things, he thought, experiments were fine, but he had his limits.

"I fear though, I really have to go now. Work tomorrow morning, you see?" he said, gulping down another big sip of his drink, not emptying it completely though, not to give Ohno the chance to refill. Instead, he showed the barkeeper that he should hand him the bill. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the number written at the bottom of the bill, and when he pulled a big banknote to pay his and Jun's drinks, Aiba also handed Jun some money, murmuring something about "Your tip for keeping me company" before he jumped from his high stool, swaying a little, as he tried to leave.

"Let me see you outside to a taxi," Jun jumped up too and quickly helped Aiba to find his balance, hugging his waist and pulling one of the man's arms over his shoulder. 

"It's fine, I can walk," Aiba protested, trying to get rid of the host. Being well entertained for the evening was one thing, being so close to a man who apparently sold his body for enough money, was kind of... 

Somehow, Aiba managed to walk by himself out of the _Lotus_ , Jun only walking beside him to make sure he would get out safely, and it didn't take long before a taxi pulled in front of the club, opening its back doors to welcome the new passenger. Aiba got on the taxi immediately.

"I hope, I'll see you again," the host said as he made sure that Aiba's feet were fully inside the car.

Then, just when Aiba wanted to tell the man, that they would most likely not see each other ever again, Jun leaned forward and surprised Aiba with a kiss. It was soft, his lips relaxed, full and warm, slightly but courageously pressed against Aiba's half-opened mouth who was somehow helpless against the other's intrusion. He could taste the alcohol Jun had consumed in the bar, the sweetness of the _Cosmos_ that both of them had drunk, invading his mouth again, reanimating the memories from the evening. For a moment, Aiba's heart stopped beating. This was his first kiss with a man! Not that he ever had wished for one, but god damned, it was worth the experience. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe Jun was just a particularly good kisser, maybe, the alcohol made Aiba's heart and brain work stupidly, he didn't know, but it felt awesome.

Confused, Aiba pulled back, ending the kiss as abruptly as it had started. His heart still racing, he tried to understand what had just happened, but the alcohol in his veins made it hard for him to think straight. 

"Don't worry," Jun whispered into Aiba's ear before he drew back. "You don't have to pay me, this was service." 

The taxi's door closed by itself even before the two men could say goodbye. Aiba couldn't help but stare out of the window at the host, who was still standing there at the sidewalk, waving at him, with his gorgeous smile on the lips.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, Aiba didn't have a hangover when he woke up the other day. Instead, his head was almost bursting from the overwhelming pictures of last night, the _Lotus_ , the hosts there, the performances, Sho dressed up, Nino kissing Sho, himself being kabe-don-ned by that insanely beautiful host named Jun, his first kiss with a man. 

Aiba decided to take a cold shower to get his thoughts back together and as soon as he had pushed away Jun's image, only that guilty feeling for having parted ways with his best friends in a fight, last night, remained. Actually, Aiba wasn't good at fighting, even more, he hated it. But especially after the disaster with Asami, he had enough of broken hearts and seeing Sho drifting towards that direction had scared him. He didn't want his friend's heart to be broken by a host. He didn't want Sho to experience the same pain he felt when his relationship turned out to be a lie. On the other hand, his reaction might have probably been a bit too much, and knowing how stubborn Sho could be, it wasn't surprising that they ended up in a fight. 

Aiba was early at work again, much to the surprise of his colleagues, and this time, it was him who brought along breakfast, planning to use the delicious little things as a bribe to make his friend forgive his outburst.

As soon as the said friend set his foot into the office, Aiba jumped up, carrying the plastic bag he had bought on his way to work in his hand, and rushed towards Sho, making the other back off, as he stopped in front of him with a serious face.

"Boss, your office. Now," Aiba commanded.

"Those should be my words, Aiba, follow me," Sho replied in the same serious mood. 

Aiba followed his friend into his office, like the other day, and as soon as the door was closed, they faced each other again, and they exploded. 

"I'm sorry!" they both exclaimed at the same time.

For a short moment, they stared at each other, before they burst out into laughter. Sho showed Aiba to take a seat in front of his desk and sat down too, placing his elbows on the table and folding his hands. 

"Please let me go first," Sho said. Aiba nodded and let him start. "So, I'm really sorry for dragging you to a place that's probably not exactly… your thing, so to say," the young CEO admitted. "I thought it might be fun and would distract you, but then things escalated. You didn't like it and I should have considered that and go somewhere else with you but I only had eyes for Nino and I get that you don't approve of -"

Aiba lifted his hand, making his friend stop in the middle of the sentence. 

"Sho, wait, please, let me try to explain," he said. "First of all, well, a gay club would probably not have been my first choice for a night out with my best friend, true, but it was indeed… interesting to see how you spend your evenings, so don't worry about that. However, the thing between you and Nino, I want you to understand that I am happy if you are in love and everything. I am just worried for you. I'm worried that this Nino isn't sincere about you and that he will break your heart!" Aiba explained. "I'm worried that you are in love with an image and that you will be disappointed once you have to accept reality and more than that you _pay_ him for… you know what. Do you think that's right?"

"That I pay him for sex, you mean?" Sho asked drily but averted his eyes.

"In your case it's even worse, you pay him for _love_ , Sho," Aiba replied, seeing his friend blush slightly. "But love isn't buyable, I think, it's just not right."

"I-I know," Sho replied, scratching his neck.

"It's just – wait, what?!" Aiba asked, surprised. 

Considering his argument with Sho from yesterday, he had assumed that his friend was simply blinded and unable to see the truth, that he would counter Aiba's words no matter how reasonable they were but now, it sounded different.

"Of course, I know that it's not right, I'm not stupid, that's why I originally didn't intend to tell you. I'm sorry," the other man sighed as he leaned back in his seat, dropping his head back. He looked kind of tired. "You know, it's complicated. I allow myself to dream but in fact, of course, I know that this love is risky and that there's the high possibility that everything is only… my wishful thinking."

This sounded so much more like his friend now, Aiba thought. The reasonable Sho was back, even if he sounded bitter. 

"But you know, when I'm with Nino, it's like all my dreams come true. We get along so well – I know, it might only be his host skills, but nevertheless - and when he looks at me and says that he loves me, it hits right here," Sho knocked his hand against the spot on his chest where his heart was. He looked desperate. "I can't help but believe his words at that very moment and it overwhelms me and I really, really hope he's saying the truth."

It was so heart-breaking, seeing his friend like this, it really hurt and Aiba seriously wondered, how he had not been able to see what kind of pinch Sho was in, surely not only since yesterday. Had he been so full of himself and his problem with Asami that he was blind towards his friend's worries? Love could be really bitter, Aiba knew, and he had to admit, that it was hard for him to hope, especially nowadays. 

"Oh Sho, how much I wished things would work out as you wish," Aiba said with a sad smile. "I want you to become happy. But maybe, you should search your happiness with someone who, I don't know…"

"Thank you, Masaki," his friend interrupted him. "I know you're concerned and you are right. I promise I'll take care, OK? Give me some time to sort this out. I'll try and see if this is really going somewhere and if not -" Sho took a deep breath. "I'll stop seeing him."

"Really?" Aiba frowned. "Can you do that?"

"After all, I want him. I really do. And if he wants me too, I want to make it official for the long run and of course, I want him to be exclusively mine and stop working at the club," his friend said, with a smirk on his lips. "I might be selfish but it's just natural, isn't it?"

"It is," Aiba replied. "Good luck." After a few seconds of silence, Sho suddenly chuckled, causing his friend to frown. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Sho said. "It's just, I am thinking about how strange it is that originally I intended to cheer you up after your break-up and now look, we're here and you are trying to help _me_."

"You're my best friend, it's natural, isn't it?" Aiba shrugged.

Sho smiled warmly. "Thank you, Masaki. Really."

"Anyway, how about breakfast?" his friend grinned and finally put the plastic bag he brought on top of the CEO's desk. He pulled out a box, making Sho's eyes go big at the delicious scene unfolding before him. "I bought some cupcakes."

"Oh my gosh," Sho sighs happily. "You're too good for this world, really!"

"I'm not, because I won't let you choose first," Aiba smirked cheekily and opened the box to take out his favourites.

"It's fine," Sho laughed once more. "You deserve it." 

Aiba leaned over the cupcake box, examining the colourful toppings carefully to make the best choice possible and picked those that look the most delicious to him, before pushing the rest towards his friend who took some too, gratefully. The two men started munching their cupcakes, humming appreciatively and with that, the last trace of awkwardness between them had vanished, much to their delight. 

* + *

"Ah, Sho, did you see my Suica card, by the way?" Aiba wondered when the two friends returned to the office from their lunch break that day. "I came here by bicycle today because I couldn't find it and I guess I dropped it… I only noticed this morning since I took the taxi both ways last night."

"Hm? I didn't see your card, sorry. Did you ask the receptionist downstairs? If you dropped it somewhere in the building, some cleaning personnel might have found it and dropped it off there," Sho suggested.

Aiba shook his head. "They didn't find any card so I don't know."

"Maybe you dropped it in the _Lotus_?" Sho asked and Aiba went pale.

"Oh gosh, I hope not!"

"I'm sorry, I can't check for you tonight since I have a business meeting arranged and can't go to the club," Sho said, rubbing his neck. "But you better check, didn't you reload the card quite recently?"

"Yeah, it would be a waste not to look for it… Damned, I didn't intend to go there again," especially not when Jun's smile after their kiss appeared right in front of him at this very moment. Aiba shook his head slightly. 

"If you go there now, it's before their opening hours," Sho said, checking his clock. "They might let you in if you're lucky."

"I guess I have no choice," Aiba cringed.

Sho frowned. "Good luck."

* + *

It took Aiba less time than expected to reach the _Lotus_ with his bike and since he left work early, it was indeed way before their opening hours when he arrived there. The streets of Ni-Choume were still bright and much emptier than the last night. The sandwich board in front of the club was not set up yet. There was no queue of people wanting to get inside and no Uepi standing guard. Aiba really wondered if he would be able to get inside like this. The front door must be locked at this time, right? However, one of Aiba's mottoes was learning by doing and so, after chaining his bike to a nearby bicycle rack, he walked up to the black front door and reached for the doorknob.

To his sincere surprise, the door was unlocked. He pushed it open and entered, the darkness that he was expecting was erased by a bright light shining from downstairs. Probably the lighting was now set to ensure that people could prepare the club for the opening hours perfectly, so it shouldn't surprise him that much. When Aiba stepped downstairs, he could hear two voices, and even if he didn't intend to eavesdrop on them, he couldn't help but slow down his pace and come to a halt just before entering the space, hiding behind the half-closed folding door at the bottom of the stairs.

"I would have bet half of my evening's salary not to see you coming back yesterday," one voice giggled and if Aiba's ears had not betrayed him, he would say that it belonged to that stripper from last night. What was his name, Kame?

"Well, if it was _me_ deciding, I'd have preferred being hit on by Mr Glorious Jeans, but he's either straight like a broom, or very shy," _that_ was Jun's voice, Aiba would recognize it among hundreds, he surprisingly realised, and wait, was he referring to him?! At least he said that his butt looked good in jeans, didn't he?

"And that's why you had to accept that fatso's invitation to the love hotel?! Oh, my poor boy..."

"Don't touch me, Kame," Jun alerted, not sounding amused and Aiba doesn't even want to know _where_ Kame might have touched the other host. "And you know exactly that it's not really as if I had a choice." 

"You really must be poor as a church mouse," Kame sighed, followed by a short yelp as if he had been hit by something - or someone.

"I told you more than once that this doesn't concern you! Now shoo and go practice that part of our performance once more, I don't want you to embarrass me on stage!" Jun said harshly and Kame rushed off to start the music.

Aiba's heartbeat by then had reached a rather alarming speed, caused by the freaking tensed feeling from eavesdropping on something he really did not intend to hear and was most likely not supposed to, as well as the extremely intimidating imagination of Jun and some random _fatso_ doing unpronounceable things. No, Aiba didn't even want to imagine. 

So, what was he supposed to do now? Should he go inside and pretend he didn't hear anything, casually asking if someone found his Suica card? Was he even prepared to face Jun again after that kiss last night?! Or should he just go back upstairs and use the bicycle for a few more days until Sho had the chance to go to the club again and ask for Aiba's card? And why, from all possibilities, was he that lucky that it was Jun he would have to face now? Couldn't it be Kame alone? Or Ohno? Or even Nino? 

But no, Aiba wasn't a sissy to steal away like this. He was only here to check if he dropped his card, it wasn't a hard task to do. However, he decided to let about two more minutes pass by, before he finally set his feet into the room, just to make sure that nobody would think that he had listened to something he wasn't supposed to. He even knocked on the door to announce his intrusion, even if he wasn't sure if anyone would hear him with the music coming from the stage, where Kame was seemingly practising a specific dance over and over, cursing at each misstep.

Jun was leaning on the bar, from the other side, this time, and Aiba could see that he was already dressed in his host uniform when he approached him. Focused on Kame's performance, yelling a few instructions here and there, apparently, he didn't hear Aiba coming, at least, he didn't look at him until Aiba stopped in front of the bar and raised his voice.

"Hey," Aiba started, waving his hand a bit insecurely, making Jun face him.

"Oh, Mr Glorious Jeans is back," Jun replied with a surprised smile on his face. Holy, so he was really referring to Aiba just now. "You couldn't even wait for the opening hours to see me again, Sweety?"

"Sorry to disappoint you but -"

"I know, I know, you're back here for another _Cosmos_ , aren't you?" Jun smirked. 

"It's indeed delicious, but no thanks, in fact, I'm only here to check if I dropped something in the club. My Suica card," Aiba replied, averting his eyes. Jun's smile was dangerous to his heart. More dangerous than he found acceptable.

"And if we found what you lost, what makes you think we'll give it back to you for free?" the host asked, arching his thick eyebrows.

"I'll pay you a finder's fee if you wish, Jun-san," Aiba suggested.

"Wow, that sounds distanced," the host replied, pulling a face. "Yesterday I was _Jun-kun_ or _Jun_ , now that hurts."

Aiba chuckled, slightly nervous. "Well, we aren't exactly close, are we?"

"I thought we became quite close friends yesterday," Jun pouted. "You told me so much about you, I feel like I know you for years."

"I probably said some things while drinking that I shouldn't have shared with a stranger, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," Aiba slightly bowed.

"Not at all, sweetheart. Anyway, that's really too bad, I was looking forward to a couple more drinks together with you," Jun chirped but when Aiba didn't react to it, he continued. "OK wait, let me just check our lost and found box."

"Thank you."

The host quickly disappeared into a room behind the bar – last night, Aiba hadn't even realised that there was another door, probably thanks to the lightning – and returned just a few seconds later with a medium-sized box. The lid was already opened and Jun rummaging through its content. 

"So, we have some keychains in here, a fancy handkerchief with embroidered initials," Jun started listing before searching deeper. "Oh crap, some poor guy lost his car keys... and here is indeed a Suica card." 

"Really?!" Aiba exclaimed, already reaching his hand in Jun's direction, "Oh thank God, I didn’t know where else I could have dropped it -"

"Ah," the host said, pulling the box in his hands back, "Not so fast, young man. How am I even supposed to know if this is really _your_ card? It's not like this Suica card is personalised, there's no name written on it."

Aiba's face fell. Well, the man had a point there. But he couldn't fool him. "I can tell you exactly how the card case looks like. And it would be too big a coincidence if someone with the exact same card case dropped their card here, right?" 

"Hm... fair enough," Jun said and let his eyes drop into the box once more. "So tell me."

"OK," Aiba started, closing his eyes and rubbing his hands, to make sure he remembered the design of his card case, as detailed as possible. "So the background is in light green, with a few leaves and flowers and there's a super cute comic dog on it. A shiba inu. With a blue scarf. He looks very excited and he pokes out his tongue, just like thi-" Aiba could just hold himself back from imitating the comic dog's posture in the last second.

When he snapped his eyes open, Jun was looking at him, biting his lips as if he was holding back from bursting out into laughter. Aiba blushed. How embarrassing, did he really just... 

"Can you give me back my card now, please?!" the man whined. 

"You're too cute, seriously," Jun murmured, covering his mouth with his hand as he chuckled slightly. "Hah... and I wanted to blackmail you for a drink before giving back your card, just how can I resist such cuteness?"

Aiba blushed even more. This was probably the first time in his life that another guy called him "cute". When Jun reached out with his hand to give Aiba back his Suica card in the ridiculously cute card case – it could be owned by an elementary student, Jun added, just to make Aiba feel even more embarrassed – Aiba grabbed it as quickly as he could, stuffing it back inside his pocket, sputtering a "Thank you" before turning on his heels to leave.

"Wait!" Jun called after him and even if Aiba didn't plan to, he stopped and turned around to face the host once more. "You never told me your name."

Not that it was important, since he didn't plan to meet that man ever again, but feeling kind of swamped, Aiba replied, "Aiba. Aiba Masaki."

"Well then, Aiba-san," Jun sent him one of his cheeky smirks. "I hope you'll change your mind and come back here one day. I'll be waiting for you."

Aiba almost stumbled up the stairs as he hurried outside of the _Lotus_ without dropping another word. He just needed to get out of there or his heart would explode and he didn't like that. At all. It hit him right away that it wasn't just the embarrassment he had put himself into that made him feel so unsettled; no, it was also that host's smile, his mischievous look when he tried to lure Aiba into joining him once more with drinks or whatever else he would be willing to share with him. But this wasn't Aiba's style. He wasn't planning to leave money in an establishment where people sold their bodies and souls to whoever was willing to pay the price. This was so much against all of his principles, it was almost disgusting. 

But how the heck, could this host attract him so much, even though they had only met twice? How was it possible that everything Aiba could think of now was that kiss he and Jun shared last night? A kiss with a perfect stranger, someone he shared some drinks with (and poured his heart out to while he was drunk) but that's all. How could someone be so freaking fascinating?

Aiba was so jazzed that evening, that on his way home he took the wrong turn and it took him twice as long to reach his apartment. 

* + *

Keeping his "promise", with a few weeks passing by, Aiba didn't visit the _Lotus_ again. He would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to accept Sho's invitations once or twice, but no, he wasn't interested in going there. What would he get out of it? He would be able to see some hosts doing different performances on stage, but the fact was, he wasn't really interested in any of that. He could witness how Sho and Nino's relationship was progressing (or not), but he was convinced that this was something private between those two, and judging by Sho's troubled face the recent days, Aiba was sure, the two of them had been talking already, or at least Sho was approaching the host with his sincere feelings. Sometimes, Aiba wondered, if he had done the right thing, putting his friend under such pressure with his harsh opinion, but he wanted to believe that in the long run, everything would work out well for Sho. 

"Jun told me that you _really_ enjoyed the _Cosmos_ ," Sho tried to lure Aiba during lunch break and just the sound of Jun's name was enough to make Aiba's heart jump.

"I want to give up alcohol for a while, Sho-chan," Aiba pulled out an excuse, causing his friend to give him a shocked glare. Indeed, the moment those words left Aiba's lips, the man knew that it was ridiculous.

"We have beer tasting booked for an evening at Kirin's to prepare for our project, are you aware of that?" the CEO asked. "I wanted the whole creative team to attend and you know about it. You cannot _not_ drink alcohol there!"

Aiba chuckled. "Ah right, I forgot, well, then I'll start my non-alcoholic diet afterwards, I guess." 

So much for his white lie.

"So you'll join me for a drink in the _Lotus_?" Sho asked with another smile. "Nino is going to perform a new song tonight."

But Aiba shook his head. "I have other plans already, sorry, but I wish you a nice evening."

Sho nodded, noting that it was useless to try convincing his friend to join him and Aiba sighed in relief. Once more, he got away from having to face Jun again. Or that's what he thought.

Aiba hasn't told Sho that his "other plans" this evening were actually a date with his couch, a simple but delicious dish, some Netflix episodes and – yes – probably also a few cans of beer. Although – and Aiba kept it a good secret – he had to admit that he preferred Asahi over Kirin. He wasn't actually a homebody but from time to time, he enjoyed some time on his own and today was such a day that he felt he needed it. 

Knowing that his refrigerator was empty, Aiba dragged his feet into an international supermarket just two blocks away from his apartment after work. He was still new in this area, having moved here just a few months ago, and he even had a small convenience store right underneath his apartment, but he preferred the larger supermarket with its larger variety of food from various countries. After all, just as Sho had said, Aiba was an experimental kind of guy and he loved trying new stuff. Especially food. 

After Aiba filled up his shopping basket with some essentials like fresh vegetables and refills as well as new samples for different spices and herbs, it came down to the actual dinner he wanted to create. OK, this wasn't actually experimental since it wasn't the first time he was going to cook this, but he felt like a simple Italian spaghetti with Bolognese sauce would do the job tonight. Therefore, in addition to his fresh tomatoes and spices, he got some fresh minced beef and of course, the most important, the pasta. 

"So, you like Italian food?"

Aiba almost jumped in shock, when suddenly, a familiar voice approached him from behind. Grabbing the spaghetti package he was taking from a shelf, which he almost dropped, he turned around and faced someone he had not expected to meet there at all.

"Jun-san!" Aiba exclaimed after staring at the man right next to him for a few seconds, who was bent over his shopping basket, "I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Must be my stylish cap," Jun chuckled before he winked at Aiba.

The man blushed slightly and took in the sight in front of him. Jun looked completely different from how he looked at the host club. His clothes were much more casual. He was wearing an old pair of ripped jeans, a slightly washed-out, probably once black t-shirt and a comfy-looking, unbuttoned white and turquoise checker long shirt, with its sleeves rolled up to the elbow, exposing beautiful, slightly toned forearms. His hair was probably unstyled, at least the grey beanie he was wearing covered most of it, only allowing a few dark strands of hair curling out from underneath the cap's rim. Black framed glasses were sitting on the bridge of Jun's nose and he was wearing no make-up, so his skin looked a bit less smooth than from what Aiba could remember, but hell, it didn't make the man less beautiful. 

Catching himself staring again, Aiba quickly averted his eyes, going back to the pasta package in his hand which he hurriedly stuffed into his basket. He wanted to chase away those thoughts about Jun and focus on his purchase but with Jun's presence right beside him, it was impossible and his heart was a mess. How was it even possible that with all people in the world, he had to meet _Jun_ in this very store and how on earth was it possible that the young man looked even more gorgeous, each time Aiba met him?

"Why... What are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

"Buying groceries for my dinner?" Jun offered with a cute smile, tilting his head.

"But why? I mean here?!"

Jun frowned. "Because I live nearby?"

"You must be kidding."

"Definitely not," the other man replied, as he searched the shelves for something.

"I live nearby too," Aiba sighed without considering that he probably should have kept this information for himself.

"Really?" the host's face brightened. "What a coincidence! I never met you here before!"

"I just moved here a little while ago," Aiba explained, earning another disarming smile from Jun.

"So probably we passed each other without knowing."

"Possible," Aiba murmured. There was a second of awkward silence – at least Aiba felt awkward – before he continued the conversation. "So, what is it for your dinner?"

"Just lasagne," Jun said, picking a package of lasagne sheets from the shelf and adding it to his own basket. "Nothing too difficult," he smiled charmingly.

"Not too difficult?! I never made lasagne myself before," Aiba said in awe. "Wait, so _this_ is your special talent!" Aiba burst, without thinking.

"What?"

"Cooking!"

Jun chuckled. It sounded like music to Aiba's ears. "Haha well, I guess I'm not bad but it's not exactly a talent you can show in a host club."

"Too bad," Aiba murmured, again, without consulting his brain first, and so, he probably should be prepared for what was coming next.

"I can give you a home performance though, if you wish," Jun suggested with an irresistible smirk on his lips. "And don't worry, since I'm off duty, I won't charge you for my presence."

Aiba gulped.

* + * 

It wasn't planned, Aiba would swear in front of a jury, it really wasn't planned. But actually, about fifteen minutes later, he was back in front of his apartment door, trying to get the door unlocked with his keys with slightly shaking hands. Eating on his nerves was the presence of one man, who he – he couldn't stop reminding himself – did not even intend to see ever again and now had somehow managed to get himself invited into Aiba's kitchen to show off his cooking skills. Well, if _that_ wouldn't make Aiba nervous, he didn't know what else would. But the words "Why not come over to my place and we can cook something together" had left his lips faster than he had even been able to form the question in his head and of course, Jun had accepted right away, a bit surprised, but definitely pleased.

"Do you need help?" Jun offered as Aiba failed to open the door for the third time in a row, and Aiba could almost hear the smirk on the man's lips.

"No need, thank you very much," he replied, took a deep breath and tried once more – this time succeeding. 

He pushed the door open and kicked off his shoes in the entrance area after switching the lights on. He went straight to the shoe cabinet to get some guest slippers for Jun – and of course, he only found a pair of fluffy green ones that he once bought because it amusingly reminded him of grass, but thankfully, Jun didn't say anything about them and just put them on with a "Thanks" before following Aiba through the corridor.

Thankfully, two days ago had been clean-up-day, so it wasn't a big deal to let an unexpected guest in. The apartment was still in a very showable and neat state, even if Aiba should probably wash up a couple of plates in the kitchen, but considering the fact that they were about to use the kitchen anyway, this shouldn't be a problem.

"Would you like to have something to drink? Water, coke, beer?" Aiba offered when the two entered the kitchen and he started emptying his shopping bag.

"What about cracking the bottle of wine I bought? It's not an expensive one but it should go well with Italian food," Jun suggested instead, holding up the said bottle. 

"Oh well, why not?" Aiba shrugged and turned to the kitchen cabinet to get some wine glasses. He handed a bottle opener to Jun who did the job perfectly and poured them a good amount of the red liquid and the two clinked glasses.

"To a successful dinner," Jun toasted with a smile and Aiba nodded.

He caught himself watching Jun as he swallowed a big sip of wine, the red liquid wetting his beautiful lips and his Adam’s apple popping up and down. As manners demanded, the man had taken off his beanie at the entrance area, and as Aiba had expected, his hair was unstyled. However, he still looked gorgeous, if not more gorgeous than ever. As Jun put down his half-emptied glass, he reached into his jeans’ pocket and pulled out a small hairband that he used to tie his brown locks back into a cute tiny ponytail. Aiba couldn't keep his lips from twitching up into an amused grin. He looked so adorable...

"So let's start with the sauces," Jun said, clapping his hands. "You mind if I just use your kitchen to my liking?"

Aiba shook his head. "Feel free," he said, stepping out of the way when the other man immediately started searching for the utensils that they might need. "Ah, the pots are in the drawer down there," Aiba pointed out, reaching into the said direction.

Quickly, they set up everything they needed, two pots, a large frying pan and a casserole in which they would prepare the lasagne. The oven was already heating up, some olive oil was poured into the pan and what felt like hundreds of spices and herbs were gathered on the kitchen island, ready for their performance. Aiba was crying buckets over dicing the onions while Jun was already cooking the béchamel sauce. The young man chuckled, pulling off the dishcloth he had stuffed under his belt as an improvised apron, and reaching over to dry some of Aiba's tears.

"Everything's going to be fine, Darling," Jun joked, laughing over Aiba's blushed cheeks. 

A few minutes later, the smell of fried meat mixed with tomatoes and all sorts of herbs was filling the apartment and Aiba could already feel his stomach growling slightly in anticipation. He had watched Jun's skilful frying and mixing and was now not less impressed by how fast he was with spreading the different layers of lasagne sheets, béchamel sauce and tomato-beef sauce in the casserole, topping it with a generous amount of grated cheese. The smell was amazing and Aiba was tempted to try the dish as it was, but Jun quickly snapped away the man's fingers and instead pushed the casserole into the oven for the finishing touch.

"Let's eat our salad while waiting for the main dish," Jun suggested, taking the two small bowls Aiba prepared from the kitchen counter and bringing them to the living room. "Since you don't seem to have a dining area, I suppose we're using your coffee table?"

Aiba nodded, taking the two wine glasses with him and followed his guest into the other room. "Wait, I'll get some placemats."

It didn't take long before they were comfortable, although Aiba had to admit that he was still kind of nervous about having the gorgeous host – no, tonight he was a usual, well, unusually good-looking man – around him. It had long passed the point of absurdity, having dinner together now as if they were friends (or... having a date)? Aiba gladly pushed his glass towards Jun when the other offered to refill and downed almost half of it immediately, causing the other to giggle.

Once they have settled on Aiba's – as Jun emphasized – extremely comfortable couch, they fell silent for an awkward moment which Aiba filled with drinking the remaining of his wine before Jun started a conversation.

"You don't have a dog, do you?" he asked casually, even if from the state of Aiba's apartment, the answer should be clear.

"No, animals are forbidden in this apartment complex but my family had one when I was a child," Aiba confirmed.

Jun hummed understandingly. "I see. Well, that's a pity. You really like dogs, don't you?"

"I do," Aiba replied, surprised. "But why?"

"I mean, I see pictures with you and your family and a golden retriever all over your place," Jun smiled at the other man. "And you have this cute Suica card case with a shiba inu and even this couch pillow-," he reached behind him and brought said object on his lap with a chuckle, "-Is in the shape of a dog's head. I bet, your favourite movie as a kid was _Lassie_?"

Even more surprised than before, Aiba blushed. "How do you even know?"

"Oh my gosh, so I hit the bull's eye?!" 

"Do you know the movies?" Aiba asked, excitedly.

Cutely, Jun tilted his head. "Only the one from the nineties, I think, with that sheep farmer or what it was."

"You mean the one from 1994, starring Tom Guiry and Michelle Williams," the other man jumped in immediately with a wide smile.

"Probably, yes."

"I _love_ that movie!" Aiba exclaimed, passionately. "Oh, did you know that Lassie, even if the character is a girl, was mostly portrayed by a male dog?"

"Really?" Jun raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, because male rough collies have a fluffier fur so the producers of the movies though it looks more telegenic," the other explained.

"But isn't that kind of discriminating? I'm sure, a female dog looks just as fine."

"Right? I always thought so too! Nevertheless, I love the movies, they always make me cry -"

Jun burst into laughter, leaving Aiba with a startling impression. When he realized what he just said and how much he had put himself into the subject, Aiba closed his mouth, biting his lower lip slightly. Perhaps, he shouldn't have spoken that much, he thought, embarrassed. 

"I'm sorry," Jun stated as he wiped a small tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. "I'm really sorry, it's not like I'm laughing at you, it's just... _you_ are so cute."

Aiba blushed. Not knowing, if the other was truly complimenting him or deep inside he was laughing at him for getting so worked up about a fictional dog and its portraying on TV, the man quickly tried to change the subject. Not that a laughing Jun was a horrible sight, on the contrary, it made his heart melt, but it was probably better not to add to those thoughts.

"Uhm... ah, what about the lasagne?"

"Ah, you're right!" Jun jumped up. "We should check on it."

A few minutes later, with his mouth half full, Aiba exclaimed, "This is the best lasagne, I _ever_ ate, really, you can offer this in a high-class restaurant!"

"It's just a hobby, Aiba-san," Jun waved off, but when he tried a bite himself, he looked satisfied. 

Aiba smiled. "Where did you learn to cook like that?!"

"My father taught me that recipe, but it's pretty simple, isn't it?"

"Doesn't make it less delicious," Aiba said, enjoying another bite.

After they finished their meal, Aiba claiming the rest of the lasagne as his for the coming days, the two had almost finished their bottle of wine. Aiba was already feeling dangerously tipsy and even more troubling – he felt like he didn't want the evening to end. The two men carried on their conversation, talking about movies in general and it was interesting to find out that they were basically interested in the same kind of movies, both preferring Western productions over Japanese ones, especially the latest Marvel productions for the past few years.

"Thor isn't the coolest superhero," Jun shook his head, frowning. "Basically, he isn't even a superhero, he's a god, and that doesn't count!" 

"Why shouldn't that count? There's no rule saying gods can't be superheroes, it doesn't matter where they get their superhero powers from," Aiba countered.

"But isn't it much cooler that people like Tony Stark or Natasha Romanoff can transform their pure human abilities like fighting skills and intelligence into _weapons_ so to say?" Jun asked with sparkling eyes. "It gives me the feeling like people like you and I, with the right effort – and probably a fortune – would be able to reach such levels too."

"It's definitely cool, nothing against it," Aiba nodded. "But Thor has this really cool, really big hammer!"

Jun laughed. "Size doesn't always matter, Aiba-san."

"Why do I feel like this is an ambiguous statement?" the other asked, chuckling.

"Sorry," Jun said. "I guess the alcohol isn't as harmless as I thought. I should probably go home now. Ah, shall we wash up first?"

"Oh, don't mind," Aiba replied. "I'll do it afterwards."

Being a gentleman, Aiba put away all the dishes, prohibiting Jun from touching anything, and then guided him back to the entrance area

"These slippers are insanely comfy," Jun noted, as he slipped out of them and back into his shoes.

"I know," Aiba replied without thinking. "And they look like grass." He slapped himself internally.

"They do, they really do," the other chuckled as he reached for the door handle, opened the door and turned around to say goodbye. 

Aiba automatically stepped a bit forward into the entrance area, until he was standing in the door frame. When his and Jun's eyes met again, the young man smiled his gorgeous smile again and Aiba felt all warm and cosy. Searching for words to say, he slightly parted his lips, but nothing came out, no "It was a great evening", no "Let's do this again" not even a "Thanks for the delicious meal." Aiba just really didn't know what to say. This was a critical moment, after all, it would decide how things would proceed from now on.

Wait, did Aiba just think about _how things would proceed from now on_? There wasn't supposed to be anything to proceed, a voice in his mind reminded him. Jun was a host. No matter under what circumstances, he wasn't supposed to see the man ever again, right? But then, why did he even invite him into his apartment? Why did he allow them to spend such a wonderful – even if slightly embarrassing – evening together? What was he thinking?!

When Jun suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between his and Aiba's face, the man took a deep breath, holding it alongside with his train of thoughts, he was only able to stare at the approaching beauty. He felt Jun's finger touching his face, his thumb carefully rubbing over his cheeks and when Aiba's heart was ready to burst and he was about to close his eyes, Jun drew back.

Aiba startled as the other man flashed him a big smile.

"Sorry, there was some sauce left," Jun said casually before he lifted his hand for a small wave. "Thanks for the nice evening. Good night."

"Good night," Aiba replied and closed the door as fast as he could, locking Jun out. 

What the hell was _that_?! Aiba was now shaking, his heart pounding up to his ears as he pressed his back against his apartment door, gasping for air. This... why... what?! Had Jun intended to kiss him? Or not? Or was he making fun of him? Aiba was confused. Did he actually _want_ Jun to kiss him? Well, honestly, if Jun had tried, he probably wouldn't have pushed him away but it would definitely make things complicated. Oh, shrew that, things _were_ already complicated, Aiba corrected himself mentally, burying his face in the palm of his hands.

He felt the urge to call Sho and ask him for his advice but considering, that he had been criticising his friend for falling in love with a host, recently, probably that would be kind of unfair. Even if it wasn't like the same was happening to Aiba, no, it was just... yeah, what was this all about? 

Wondering, confusing himself, even more, Aiba went back into the kitchen, hoping that washing-up would help to wash his mind clear from Jun.

* + *

In Aiba's dream the following night, the man experienced the whole evening with Jun once more. It was almost like replaying a good movie, starting with their fateful encounter in the supermarket, followed by their almost couple-like cooking experience and embarrassing conversations about TV dogs and superhero-powers and ending at Aiba's apartment door. Just with one difference. This time, there _was_ a kiss. And _what_ a kiss, it was truly something people could only dream of.

Maybe, the man thought when he woke up, trying to ignore his... crush on Jun – especially non-host-Jun - was stupid. The signs were like hitting him right in the face, especially after the last night. He was getting nervous in his presence, he was drawn in by every single feature of this insanely beautiful man, the speed of his heartbeat was ready to set world records when he was close to him and he was even _dreaming_ about kissing that man. Aiba couldn't deny it any longer, he was falling in love.

However, it's not like it was impossible to also _fall out of love_ , Aiba knew from his own past experiences. For example, whenever he had a crush on a girl during his teenage or college years, and later he found out that the girl was already taken, his feelings for that girl disappeared as fast as they had popped up. Or considering that it was only a few weeks since his break up with Asami, the fact that he was already falling in love with someone else clearly showed, that he was over Asami, probably faster than he had expected. 

The fact that Jun was a host, making mooneyes at a whole club's clientele, was enough to make Aiba want not to meet him again in the beginning, he just had to re-experience the disgust he felt about that whole host thing, especially when real feelings were involved, and he would probably write off Jun again quickly. After all, it was useless to consider the thing between them as something worth a chance, if you could even call this a _thing_. Aiba might be having a crush on Jun, but Jun was only being charming to win a new client, right? For some reason, this made Aiba extremely angry and he was eager to end things before they really started messing up his life.

Sho was genuinely surprised the next day when Aiba was the one asking him if they could visit the _Lotus_ together. The CEO confessed that he had given up on trying to ask Aiba to accompany him – finally – but of course, he took him with him with pleasure. So now they were standing in the queue to the host club again, waiting to be let in. Contrary to the norm, Aiba was unusually quiet and didn't really want to talk – especially not about Jun. Sho instead, was all about telling Aiba how fantastic Nino's new song was, how the people loved it and that he was so proud of him. 

"Speaking about the devil," Aiba suddenly murmured, causing Sho to throw him a confused glance.

Aiba pointed his finger to the other side of the street where a fancy car – a cobalt blue Mercedes – had come to a halt, and no other than Nino was exiting from the passenger's seat. When he walked around the car to cross the street and head to the _Lotus_ , the driver of the car lowered the window and leaned a bit out of the car, calling Nino's nickname. The young man turned and went back a few steps. Aiba and Sho were watching the scene, mesmerized, and Aiba could feel how Sho as digging his fingers into his shoulder when they witnessed that man touching Nino's forearm in a much too affectionate gesture.

"Ouch, Sho!" Aiba hissed, trying to get rid of his friend's painful grip, but Sho was like petrified.

They couldn't see what was now going on exactly, Nino's back was blocking the view, but apparently, the host and that man were exchanging a few more words before they said good-bye, the man then drove away and Nino resumed walking towards the club. He didn't look towards the small crowd of people waiting to be let in, or he would have spotted Sho and Aiba standing not too far away from him. He just took the direct path, being waved in by Uepi quickly, who grumbled something like "You're late".

Finally, Sho loosened his grip, his hands dropping from his friend's shoulders and when Aiba turned to look at his friend's face, it hurt, to see it fallen. A mix of jealousy, sadness and anger was rushing over Sho's expression and Aiba concluded that it would probably be better not to talk about Nino for the moment.

About forty minutes later, the two friends were sitting at Sho's usual table. Sho's bad mood was almost blown away completely after watching Nino performing his latest piece on stage, and now that the host was entertaining Sho again, sitting as close to him as possible, touching him in a subtle way, as much as possible, the strange expression on Sho's face was replaced completely again by the affectionate look Aiba had seen on him during that first evening when he saw these two men together. He sighed. Sho seemed to be a hopeless case, and even if Aiba hadn't asked about their "progress" yet, he was convinced that Sho had not been able to confront Nino about his sincere feelings and wishes. He was most likely still reluctant to wake up from the dream he had created in his mind, where he and Nino were true lovers, just a step away from an official relationship. Aiba wasn't willing to bring up the topic right now in front of the two lovebirds. Sho could dream on for another evening, but at the next opportunity, Aiba would try to talk to his friend again.

Not really helpful at all was, that right now, a new performance started and this time, it was no other than Jun being on stage, dancing to a sensual, jazzy number. The host was wearing a silver jacket, which he seemed to have exchanged with his usual black one, the silvery fabric reflecting all the different colours of the light show on stage. Underneath he was wearing a dark purple shirt – of course, the top buttons were undone – and a long thin black necktie hanging around his collar. The tight black trousers complimented the man's butt dangerously. When Jun got rid of his jacket, throwing it behind him, and revealed his sexy forearms – since he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, as it was revealed now – Aiba gulped hard. Whistling and cheering could be heard from all over the club, causing Jun to throw some winks and air-kisses into the front rows, making everybody melt. 

Well, Aiba could see where people were coming from. What took place up there on the stage was definitely something. Seeing Jun's beautiful body moving to the music perfectly – he hadn't been exaggerating when he once told Aiba that his special talent was dancing, obviously – it was impossible for Aiba to take his eyes off. And yes, hell, this man could move his hips, he thought, embarrassed, trying to hide his blush behind his hand when Jun apparently looked right into his direction. 

The distance between their table and the stage was actually too much to clearly say that Jun was indeed trying to make eye contact with Aiba – it could be any other guy – but it _felt_ like Jun was looking at _him_ and nobody else, and this was really dangerous. Aiba was relieved that Nino and Sho were busy with each other, so hopefully, nobody would notice that hidden underneath the table in the dark atmosphere of the club, Aiba was getting a hard-on.

Crap. Aiba's tactic was completely backfiring here. Instead of feeling disgusted by Jun acting as a host in this environment, now Aiba was getting aroused by seeing the man dance on stage. How on earth could he ban that man from his thoughts and dreams like that?! 

It was too late. Far too late. With his heartbeat racing and his pants becoming painfully tight, Aiba had to admit that by now, he was far more involved with Jun – mentally _and_ physically, obviously – to simply _brush away his crush_ as he had planned. Damned. 

The man jumped up, heading towards the toilets, as fast as he could. He was lucky not to find a too long queue in front of the men's toilet, although, judging from the noises coming from the cubicles next to him, he was embarrassed to notice, that apparently he was not the only one coming to this place to... well, find some relief. With a red-flushed face, Aiba took care of the little problem between his legs, trying to be as mute as possible, giving himself a couple of minutes to recover afterwards, hoping that nobody would be able to see on his face what he had just done. 

Afterwards, Aiba decided to get something to drink from the bar, in order to distract himself from that dangerous moment. At that point, Jun's performance was already over, but he didn't care, right now, he needed alcohol in his system. With that, Aiba took a high stool before the counter and gestured Ohno to him, ordering a _Monochrome_.

It didn't take longer than a minute and the drink was in front of Aiba, and – much to his displeasure – Jun was beside him, ordering "the same". Aiba sighed. That was exactly what he did not need right now. Probably it would be better if he had left the place right away. Now, it was too late to run away.

"Hey, handsome, why so frustrated?" Jun asked, placing one elbow on the bar and tilting his head, just enough to expose his gorgeous neck on which Aiba could spot the shimmer of sweat. He took a sip from his drink, trying to escape the obligation of a reply. Jun waited for a few seconds, but when Aiba didn't say anything, he continued. "You have been watching me."

"Excuse me?" Aiba exclaimed, feeling caught. Damned, so Jun really had been looking his way before?!

"When I was dancing on stage, you've been watching me," the host went on with a smirk, leaning closer to Aiba. "I could feel your eyes on me," he whispered into the man's ear, causing Aiba to shake slightly.

"Well," Aiba cleared his throat. "Considering what you were doing up there, it was kind of difficult _not_ to look."

Jun chuckled, his breath hitting Aiba's neck, before he drew back a little, taking the drink Ohno had pushed in front of him in the meantime. "I count this as a compliment. So, did you _enjoy_ what you saw?" 

Aiba gulped, and he was sure that he was blushing like crazy. Jun's eyes now dropped between Aiba's legs - as if he was able to read his mind - before he lifted his gaze again, throwing the man his usual cheeky smirk as they locked eyes again. Damned... did he know?!

"Jun, please... leave me alone," Aiba finally managed to say, finishing his drink which was immediately replaced by Ohno.

"Cold," Jun said, drawing back a little as if he was really feeling offended. "Did I do something to you?"

Aiba sighed. He knew it wasn't a fine way to do something like that, but if he didn't push away Jun now, he won’t know where this would lead them to and he _really_ didn't want to make things even more complicated. 

"I'm just not interested in being entertained by a host, that's all," the man said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

"Don't say I'm not your type, Aiba-san. Don't you like me? At least a bit?" Jun asked, challenging. "Is it about the money? Come on, you're working in Sho-chan's company, aren't you? And I saw your apartment. It might not be huge, but for one person it's quite something and your block is known for being upper-middle-class standard. You know, _I_ really do like you," the man continued and for some reason, Aiba felt a knot forming in his throat. 

"Jun, stop that," he said in a low voice. _Stop lying_ , he wanted to shout.

He didn't want to hear anything more about this. He didn't want to hear Jun talk about money or social status. It meant that all of this, everything, the whole interaction between them, was simply towards the goal of getting Aiba to spend money on the host, right? So Aiba's apprehension was right. While he was falling more and more for this god-damned charming host, Jun's only motivation had been his...

"Come on, don't be stingy, I bet your salary can afford a bit of _this_ ," Jun said, letting his fingers run down his own neck and his chest and that was enough for Aiba.

"I said I am _not_ interested in such services, thank you!" Aiba exploded, jumping from his high stool and smashing a few bills onto the counter before storming away angrily, leaving behind a confused Jun.

He hurried through the dim atmosphere in the club once more, finding Sho still sitting at his table, but alone.

"Masaki! Where have you been?" Sho asked wondering, when his friend let himself fall on the spot right beside him, eyebrows knotted and arms crossed. "Is everything OK?"

"Nothing is OK, Sho," Aiba replied directly. "All of this is so far from being OK that it's ridiculous. Where's Nino?"

Sho blinked, confused. "He's preparing for another song, I wished to hear one, it should be the next number.

"When he's finished, we will leave," Aiba said, determined. "Don't look at me like this. We will leave. You have not talked to Nino yet, have you? You didn't tell him that you're in love with him for real and that you want him to quit his job and become yours officially, did you?"

Sho blushed. "I - I didn't. I couldn't! You see... is it really my place to make him quit when he really _needs_ the money?" the man asked, slightly desperate. Aiba could only imagine the chaos in Sho's head and heart right now.

"You're scared that he will drop you and prefer working for good money here in the club," Aiba summarized, hitting the nail on the head. "Did he ever tell you _why_ he needs the money?" he then confronted his friend.

Sho shook his head.

"Do you have plans with Nino afterwards? You know," Aiba didn't want to finish the sentence, but thankfully, Sho was smart and immediately understood what he was hinting. To Aiba's surprise, Sho shook his head again.

"He said he has other plans tonight," the man replied, lowering his head. 

Aiba could see how hurt his friend was. Probably, if this meant that Nino was _booked_ by another man tonight, Sho must feel horrible, imagining the young man with someone else. Aiba's heart felt a slight sting as if Sho's pain was spilling over to him.

"We will find out," Aiba decided, causing his friend to give him a puzzled look.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

About an hour later, Aiba pulled Sho out of the _Lotus_ , following Nino with a few metres distance between them. Since the host bid Sho good night with a kiss just before he left, Aiba could feel how nervous Sho was. His hand, which Aiba had grabbed to get him to follow him, was feeling slightly sweaty and shaky. 

"Masaki, we can't do this, we can't just -" Sho tried to convince his friend to call off his plan, but then they were already outside of the club and spotted Nino getting into a taxi to leave the place.

Before Sho could even say anything else, Aiba lifted his hand and another taxi pulled in, right in front of them.

"Please follow the taxi in front of you!" Aiba ordered the driver enthusiastically as soon as he and Sho were sitting in the back row of the car. He chuckled. "Sorry, but somehow I always wanted to say that, it's like in a movie, isn't it?"

Sho frowned at his friend and when the taxi driver headed off to follow his passengers’ order, causing him to almost crash against the front seat, the man groaned. 

"Yes, like I am in the _wrong_ movie!" he exclaimed. "What the hell are we doing?!"

"We're going to follow Nino and see what he's up to tonight," Aiba said.

"He's probably getting fucked by someone who is obviously not me, and may I add that I am definitely not interested in seeing that!" Sho said, his voice sounding nervous and worked up. "Do you want me to feel even worse?!"

Aiba shook his head heavily. "That's not what I'm intending, Sho-chan, you know that! But I want to follow him until he gets home. I want to see if he lives in a luxurious apartment, if he really _needs_ the money, you know? Maybe this will help you to get the courage to finally ask him," the man said. 

And if not, then hopefully what Sho would see would _cure_ him from being in love with that host, Aiba thought, even if he knew that this was kind of a brutal way to end what probably came the closest to being a relationship for his friend in years.

Yes, Aiba also felt guilty for using this situation not only for Sho's sake but for his own too, he had to take these drastic measures. Falling in love with a host was dangerous. It was a thing with no future, something that messed up one's feelings and ruined one's life, and Aiba really doubted that this was worth it. He either needed a miracle not to lose hope completely, or he needed a hard wake up call, for Sho as well as for himself. No matter how this would end, things couldn't go on like this.

Unexpectedly, and eventually, their taxi came to a halt in front of a huge building, stopping right behind the taxi Nino was riding. Sho and Aiba exchanged a confused look and duck a little to hide behind the front seats, just in case Nino looked at the other taxi and noticed them. But apparently the host didn't, and instead walked through the gates of the large building, at a fast pace. A few seconds later, Aiba paid their driver and he and Sho exited the taxi.

"A hospital..." Aiba murmured, as he and Sho started to follow Nino. "I wonder what he's doing here."

"I swear, if he's here to meet some rich doctor, I'm going to cry," Sho said, ruffling his hair until it stood on end. "I might be the CEO of a not so unsuccessful advertising company, but I am not as rich as a doctor! If he has someone who can pay him so much more -"

"Sho, shut up now, will you, or he'll find out that we're following him!" Aiba hissed, pressing his index finger against his lips. 

"Seriously, I want to go home," the CEO whimpered and if Aiba didn't know how much was at stake for his friend, he might even find it funny how much of a coward his usually so confident friend had become in the past few minutes. But this was serious business.

They kept their distance when following Nino inside, trying not to attract any suspicion towards them. They watched him entering an elevator, going up to the ninth floor, and took the next one, sneaking out of it on their designated floor, which seemed quiet and dark. Hiding behind a huge pillar, Sho and Aiba could see Nino approaching the nurse station, exchanging a few words with the woman sitting there, before leaving her behind, and heading off into a specific direction. Figuring that without a good reason they would probably not be able to pass through, Aiba showed Sho to duck and follow him, crawling, and like this, they managed to get through the corridor without having to face the nurse. 

"This is so ridiculous, Masaki," Sho whispered. His heart surely was hammering like crazy. "As if we're intruders."

"Well, basically, we _are_ and now shhh," his friend replied after they tiptoed through the station, still far enough behind Nino not to be heard.

They still didn't know what the host was doing here, but still, Aiba was assuming strongly that Nino was indeed meeting a well-owning doctor here. Though, when Nino's walk became slower and heavier and his back seemed to become smaller, Aiba wasn't so sure anymore. In the end, Nino stopped in front of a door, taking a deep breath and giving himself a moment to collect, before he finally stepped inside.

Sho and Aiba exchanged a wondering look about what was going on and while Sho was about to turn on his heels and leave the place, Aiba went a few steps further to inspect the plate hanging next to the door. He shhhed to get Sho's attention and when the other looked at him, frowning, Aiba waved him to come closer.

"Look at the nameplate here," the man whispered. "It reads _Ninomiya_. Is this Nino's surname, I mean, it has to be, right?"

"I don't _know_ but yeah, I think you're right... what does this -" Sho agreed in a low voice, taking in the characters displayed on the plate. It was a female name written next to the _Ninomiya_.

A nurse suddenly showed up behind them, tapping on Sho's shoulder who turned around in shock, almost looking as pale as the famous _Scream_ by Edvard Munch. Thankfully, Aiba thought, Sho didn't _really_ scream at that very moment.

"Gentlemen, please, it's night time already, we appreciate your visits but could you come back tomorrow?" the young woman asked in a gentle low voice.

"Sorry, Miss," Aiba whispered. "We're already taking our leave and will cause no problem, I promise. Just... Can you tell me something about the patient lying in this room and the young man who just came to visit?"

"Oh, you mean the Ninomiyas?" the woman asked. "Are you acquaintances?" Sho nodded heavily. "Ninomiya-san is really a good son. He's busy with several jobs as far as I know, but he's visiting his mother as often as he can, for more than four years now. _He_ is one of the few late visitors accepted here...Good night, gentlemen."

"Good night," Aiba flashed the nurse a smile, taking the further hint that they should rather leave now, and he and Sho bowed slightly, as she strolled away, mirroring their gesture.

"Masaki, do you get what this actually means?!" Sho stressed at his friend, still trying hard to keep his voice at whisper volume. "Not only visiting his mother is definitely not being hit up by a fancy doctor, but we might also actually have found out _why_ he needs the money and it's _not_ a luxurious lifestyle or anything of that sort, it's much more -"

"I know -," Aiba was about to jump in, still trying to process the information and what that could actually mean for the host and his friend, but he couldn't continue, as the two of them were interrupted.

"Sho..."

They whirled around, caught, as they heard Nino's surprised voice behind them. They had been so distracted, that they had let their guards down and didn't see nor hear Nino coming out of the room. The man was holding a flower vase in his hand, probably to go change the water or something similar, when he caught the two followers red-handed.

"W-what are you doing here?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows.

Sho straightened his posture and tried to collect his thoughts to produce an acceptable excuse. "I, uhm... well, we... wanted to visit my... aunt?" he offered, insecurely.

"Your aunt is hospitalized here? What's wrong with her?" the host wanted to know.

Crap. 

"Uhm, she... she has... she has broken her leg," Sho tried but he only caused Nino to sigh and shake his head in disbelief.

"Sho, are you trying to make a fool out of me?" the man asked, his look lowered and his voice sounding hurt. He lifted his head, flashing Sho and Aiba a challenging look. "Official opening hours are long over. Have you two been _following_ me?!"

"Well, you see... when you said you had other plans tonight and couldn't come home with me, I -" Sho started, but Nino just lifted his hand, making him stop halfway.

"Don't, Sho, don't say it," he cut in. "You wanted to check if I'm with another guy, didn't you?"

"Well, to be honest, Masaki and I saw you coming to the club tonight, driven there by another man."

"Gosh, Sho, that was one of the doctors from here. There's nothing between us if that's what you thought, we became friends over the years and he has been supportive to me but we never-," Nino started defending himself as if he had been caught having an affair. Halfway through, he seemed to realize the fact that there was nothing he needed to apologize for and so his speech changed directions. Angrier, he continued. "And even _if_ I was meeting with another man, what would you have done then, Sho?"

Sho didn't reply and just lowered his head. He must know exactly, there was nothing he could have done.

"You know that this is a breach of the club's rules, don't you?" Nino kept on. "No private contact with the hosts, no _stalking_ , Sho, for fuck's sake, _no_ digging into a host's private life or into his business with other clients. What are you thinking?!"

"I don't know," Sho replied helplessly. "I... I really don't know. Maybe I wanted to ask you to stop seeing other guys. I know it sounds stupid. I don't have the right..."

"Exactly, Sho, you don't have the _right_. I am not your _boyfriend_ , I am a _host_ and you _pay_ me for the service I provide you. No matter what I do, I am not _unfaithful_ towards you, you get that, right?" Nino asked, his voice hitting a high pitch. Sho nodded. "What and with whom I'm doing things does not concern you and you also had no right to follow me here and... that you are not respecting this rule shows me how unprofessional you are."

"Nino, wait, please, it's all my fault, I told him -," Aiba finally tried to chime in, hoping to be able to save the situation a bit, but Nino was so worked up, that he just punished him with a death glare, telling him to shut up, before he faced Sho again.

"I thought we were leading a professional... relationship if you can call it like that. That I could trust that things would stay simple between us. It was - wasn't it good the way it was?" Nino asked, his voice becoming more and more desperate. "What about your promise?"

"You told me that you love me," Sho simply whispered, as if this would ground his defence. He sounded close to tears, Aiba noticed, shocked.

Nino didn't react for a few seconds, he looked troubled, searching for words, and when he finally continued speaking, he completely ignoring Sho's sentence. 

"I-I did a good job. Things were good between us and now you broke a simple rule and intruded into my private life."

"Nino, listen, I'm really sorry," the other man started, just to be cut again.

"No Sho, stop it. This was it," Nino shook his head. "We can't carry on with this. If this between us doesn't stay on a professional basis, I am not able to continue my job and I won’t be able to afford this. So please, if you can't respect our boundaries, stop booking me. Now, leave."

With those words, Nino shot one last, hardly interpretable look at Sho as well as Aiba, before walking down the corridor at a fast speed. He didn't dare to look at Sho again when he passed him, even if Sho opened his mouth and took a deep breath as if he desperately wanted to say something more, but in the end, he couldn't voice anything. 

When Nino had moved out of sight, and Aiba was ready to head outside with his friend, calling it a day, Sho took a few more steps towards the patient's room and pushed the door open. What they saw was hard to comprehend. A middle-aged woman with shoulder-length black hair was lying in a white bed, her eyes closed, her mouth covered with a plastic mask of which a pipe was connected to a machine standing beside the bed. The machine’s job was obviously to help the patient breathing. The noise of air getting pumped from the machine through the pipe, filling that woman's lungs, paired with the beeping of the machine recording each and every heartbeat, caused obvious goosebumps on Sho's skin.

Aiba might have found it disrespectful of his friend to go into the room, especially, after Nino had told him off for sniffing around in his life just a minute ago, but then, he also saw it as an affirmation. Even if he had dragged Sho into this, in the end, Sho really _wanted_ to take a step into Nino's life. It only showed even more, how serious Sho was about that man, still, and again, Aiba felt his heart break a little more. 

* + *

Once they left the hospital, knowing now where Nino's money was going into – definitely the expensive hospital bills for his comatose mother's treatment - Aiba wanted to apologize to Sho for the disastrous outcome of their stalking session. He really didn't expect having to face such a horrible ending and the worst of all was that it was _him_ who had dragged his friend into all this.

Sho was probably too smashed to even be angry at his friend, or he had just given up on everything at that moment. He had taken the next taxi home, leaving Aiba back in front of the hospital, wondering where _he_ should go now. 

For now, there was no way to fix the thing between Sho and Nino anymore; Nino had made it pretty clear. Even if it had turned out that the host indeed had good reasons for needing money, in the end, it was his decision to push Sho away and to some extent, this was partly what Aiba had been expecting. He had just not expected that hurtful look from the host, or the regret in his voice, the hint of true feelings towards Sho, before everything had come to an end. Had Sho seen it too? After all, with Nino not wanting to get involved with Sho on a private basis, it would actually mean that _if_ the relationship between them became something _real_ , he would indeed want to quit his job... which didn't seem to be an option at the moment due to the money problem. Damned. Was there still hope for them? Or did Aiba ruin everything? Or did he just fast-forward to the inevitable? Whatever it was, now he had a sad friend, a guilty conscience and no idea what to do.

In the end, Aiba found himself back in the Lotus, back at the bar, facing Ohno, who was about to ask him for his choice of drink. Aiba shook his head and only asked where he could find Jun.

Jun was apparently in a conversation with a man, a few tables away, but when Aiba turned around to face him and they locked eyes, he immediately excused himself from his client and came up to Aiba as if drawn by magic. He stopped in front of him, not saying anything but also not averting his eyes. It wasn't like Aiba didn't feel nervous, his heart was beating hard against his chest, but now wasn't the time to be shy. It was the time for all or nothing.

"You said you like me," Aiba suddenly burst, causing a puzzled look on the other man's face.

"I said that," Jun confirmed, slightly confused.

Bluntly, Aiba continued. "Do you really like me?"

"I do."

Aiba's heart jolted. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he wasn't sure if this was heading in the right direction. All he was sure about was that things between Sho and Nino had gone so wrong because they weren’t honest with each other, and he didn't want to make the same mistake with Jun. It might be selfish to use the experience of his friend to his advantage, but right now, there was nothing left that he could do than look forward and see what he could save. Maybe, there would be a chance to fix Sho and Nino in the future, maybe Aiba could come up with a solution, but not tonight. Tonight, everything that was left to do was putting things with Jun straight, to avoid a second catastrophe. 

"You once told me that most hosts in this club _need_ the money they earn here," the man continued, looking deep into Jun's eyes not to miss any traces of dishonesty or whatever he expected to see in there. "Do _you_ really need money so badly?"

"I _do_ need money badly, but me saying that I like you has nothing to do with that," Jun said and as far as Aiba was able to interpret the signs, Jun's eyes were saying the same.

"What do you need the money for?"

Jun sighed, averting his look for a moment. "Aiba-san, what do you want to hear from me now?"

"The truth," Aiba said, determined.

They locked eyes again and for a few seconds, they were just staring at each other, intensely, none of them drawing back. 

"OK, I'll tell you the truth," Jun finally said. "The truth is that my father was a big idiot with a big dream who invested all of his family's money into his business idea. It didn't work out well and he should have closed business but he refused and so, in order to keep his shop, he went to borrow money from a loan shark. And now, my family is in debt and if I don't earn money to pay them back."

Aiba didn't reply to what Jun told him, but addressed him with something else, straightforwardly. "If I tell you that I like you too and that I _want_ you but that I am not willing to pay you for sex, will you still come with me?"

"I will," Jun replied, just as serious as Aiba.

"Then come with me," the other man replied, reaching his hand out. "Now."

And Jun took Aiba's hand.

* + * 

"Do you need help?" Jun asked with a smirk.

Aiba felt extremely like he was experiencing a de-ja-vu right now, failing to open the door to his apartment, as the keys in his shaking hands didn't follow his commands.

"No need, thank you very much," he replied with a slightly nervous chuckle and tried again – successfully.

Yes, it would be a lie if he said he wasn't nervous. He acted bravely in the club just now, very brave. He asked Jun directly if he really liked him and – in a roundabout way - if he would like to have sex with him, even if he wouldn't be paid for it. Because Aiba didn't want it to be simply a _job_ for Jun, he wanted Jun to _want_ him too, on a private basis. And he didn’t even dare to dream about it, but Jun had accepted and now, here they were.

Once they were finally inside and had kicked their shoes off, Aiba was still shaking from the excitement. Exchanging a look with Jun, who smiled at him irresistibly, he blushed before he reached out to the man, who took his hand, pressing it firmly, taking control over the shaking. Aiba took a deep breath and wondered if he should say something, or if he should just pin Jun against the wall behind him and kiss him. 

He was dying to do so since they left _Lotus_ and jumped into the taxi for Aiba's place. No, actually, he was dying to do so since they had said good night right at the same spot, after their _dinner date_ \- how he liked to recall that wonderful evening with Jun - not too long ago. And thus, Aiba gathered all his courage, and just went for it.

Aiba's heart jolted when Jun's lips met his halfway when Aiba leaned forward to capture them in an eager kiss. They were so incredibly soft that Aiba's knees went weak. He sighed at the warmth and the sweet taste that spread between them when Jun slightly parted his lips and invited the other man to kiss him deeper. A pleasurable shiver ran through Aiba's whole body when their tongues slightly touched, starting an intimate dance, replacing the man's nervousness gradually with pure passion. Aiba could feel the fingertips of Jun's warm hands cupping his face, brushing his cheeks before his fingers slipped behind, burying in his hair and pulling him closer. Aiba's hands had found their way to Jun's waist, almost clamping around them, still nervous, but greedy, pressing their lower bodies together. He was a bit surprised, no, delighted, when he felt that he wasn't the only one being excited. He could sense Jun's boner pressing against him too. It was incredible, it was turning him on so much that Aiba had to break their kiss and take a deep breath to calm down and not dry hump Jun right there in the entrance area.

"You OK?" Jun asked, and if Aiba wasn't imagining things, he could hear a slight hint of nervousness in his voice too.

Aiba nodded and flashed Jun his happiest smile, to assure him that he wouldn't chicken out now. He was more than OK, he had Jun here in his arms, the most beautiful man in the world, the most charming and fascinating human being he had ever met. Yes, they probably didn't know each other too well yet, but Aiba couldn't deny that he was dying to change that. The hints of Jun he had seen so far, whether in the club or when they met outside the club - _especially_ when they met outside the club – had turned his head, and had made him fall in love, with a man, something he had never expected but was finally willing to accept. 

The man leaned forward to brush his lips against Jun's again before he wrapped his arms around the young man and hugged him closely. Jun giggled cutely, returning the gesture and for a few seconds, they just stood there, hugging each other, excited, aroused, but not willing to ruin the magic of the moment.

"You know, I've been dreaming about this moment since you entered the _Lotus_ and we accidentally bumped into each other," Jun then whispered huskily into Aiba's ear, before he kissed his cheeks, his lips travelling all over Aiba's face until their lips met again in a tender kiss.

Aiba wanted to ask why he was still not completely sure what exactly made Jun like _him_ out of all the visitors in the club. Surely, there were so many more handsome, much more interesting, and much more experienced people out there that he could have chosen, but Jun said that he liked _him_. Aiba's heart wanted to believe him and he didn't want to ruin the mood with stupid questions.

"I remember that moment," Aiba said instead. Yeah, he remembered that moment vividly, Jun's eyes, what he was wearing, his charming smile…. "I thought that you are the most beautiful human I've ever seen. I _still_ think so."

"Seriously, you're too cute," Jun replied in a whispering voice, as they closed the gap between them again for another kiss.

They somehow made it further into the apartment, still kissing, and they already started to undress each other. Jun's fancy jacket, as well as Aiba's jumper, were already somewhere on the floor, when Aiba broke their kiss again, making Jun moan in dissatisfaction. Quickly, he pecked his lips again, to make him smile.

"Sorry," Aiba chuckled, "I just wanted to ask, if you prefer my – and I'm quoting you – incredibly comfortable couch, or if you'd rather like to see my bedroom."

Jun laughed and slightly hit Aiba's shoulder in an affectionate way. He then looked at him, seriously. "Show me your bedroom."

Aiba smirked. "As you wish."

And with that, Aiba pushed open the next door and dragged Jun with him. He whirled him to his bed in the darkness and pushed Jun down on the soft blanket, causing the man to giggle again. Reaching blindly to his nightstand, Aiba switched on his night lamp, making the shade glow up to the ceiling to create warm and more romantic lighting. Jun almost didn't allow him to create this atmosphere, as the man impatiently swung his arms around Aiba's neck and pulled him down for another kiss. Spreading his legs, Jun made room for Aiba to get even closer to him and when their erections pressed against each other through the fabric of the trousers, which they were still wearing, both moaned in unison.

Without even having to communicate verbally, they both agreed that it was high time to get rid of the rest of their clothes, and so, Jun started to wrestle with Aiba's belt, unbuckling it before unzipping the fly skilfully and continuing to strip off his jeans, almost in record time. Aiba's tight briefs clearly showed his excitement, his member bulging the fabric, and when Jun brushed over it with his hand, they could both feel that Aiba's dick was already leaking with precum. He moaned when Jun's hand pressed down slightly, starting to massage the hot, hard member. It was impossible for Aiba to concentrate on anything else, even if he had planned to help Jun out of his shirt. Thankfully, the man seemed to be able to read Aiba's thoughts, because just a second later, he quickly pulled his purple shirt over his head, exposing his beautiful, slim but slightly toned body. Aiba pulled in some air sharply at the view in front of him. He had never expected to find a man so freaking attractive, but he couldn't deny it, Jun looked absolutely stunning.

Carefully, Aiba started touching Jun's incredibly soft skin, his fingertips almost burning from the excitement. Jun moved slightly underneath his touch, his skin feeling like gentle waves, snuggling against Aiba's hands. Then, Jun's hands were on Aiba's, gently guiding them downwards, until they reached the waistband of Jun's black trousers. Of course, Aiba got the hint and started undressing the other immediately, who didn't assist him but let him work with his again slightly shaking hands. Before pulling down Jun's pants, Aiba stopped, locking eyes with the other man.

"I am not experienced in having sex with men, just that you know," Aiba confessed, openly.

He had to make it clear. Even if Jun might have figured that out when he found out that Aiba was new to all that gay club stuff, at the beginning. Not only had he never had sex with another man, but he also had never been in love with another man, but for now, he would keep these words to himself.

"No worries, it's no problem," Jun said softly, lifting his hands to caress Aiba's cheek. "Just let me show you what you've missed out so far."

He sat up again to kiss the other, then he guided Aiba to switch positions and to lay down on his back. Jun stood up, to get rid of his trousers, together with his underwear, which he let drop to the floor where they gathered around his ankles before he stepped over the fabric to climb back onto the bed. He knelt in front of Aiba, smirking when he noticed the man looking straight between his legs at his proud erection with lustful eyes, and then Jun leaned forward to crawl closer. 

Straddling the other man, Jun let his hands run up at the inner side of Aiba's thighs, then, avoiding his erection on purpose, he let them stroke his hips, and caressed the sensitive area around the belly button before his fingers ran lower again, where they started playing with the waistband of Aiba's briefs. The man's body twitched. He wanted more. He _needed_ more, but Jun didn't even think about freeing him from this last piece of fabric between them. Instead, he stopped the movement, much to Aiba's disappointment, and stretched to reach Aiba's ear.

"Do you want to make it a little more exciting?" Jun whispered, challenging.

"Even _more_ exciting?!" Aiba asked, amazed, not knowing how this could even be possible. 

Honestly, he was about to burst already, he was ready to skip to the last step, but if Jun was up for more playful things, he wouldn't refuse. He would enjoy and devour every single moment he would spend here with Jun, literally, the man of his dreams. After another peck on the lips, Jun was gone for a second, searching for something on the bedroom floor. When he came back, he was holding the black tie in his hands which he was wearing around the collar of his purple shirt just a few minutes ago, and if Aiba didn't know what his partner was up to, he definitely got the idea now.

"Let me tie your hands up," the young man said with a smirk on his face, confirming Aiba's suspicion.

"Oh gosh, Jun," Aiba groaned hoarsely, unable to hide his excitement. 

"I see you like the idea," Jun chuckled as he reached for Aiba's hands, stroking them affectionately, and together they lifted the man's wrists over his head to the back of the bed, where Jun carefully started to tie Aiba's hands up, not too tightly, the silky black fabric of his necktie loosely embracing his warm skin.

"I can't say no," Aiba admitted. This was exciting. _So_ exciting.

With this Aiba was completely at Jun's mercy, and it would be called a lie if he said he didn't like it. He wasn't sure yet if Jun thought about taking over the active part completely, but so far, Aiba was enjoying every second of their doing, every touch of Jun's gorgeous hands, every kiss, the other gave him, just, _everything_ and he was simply ready for whatever Jun was willing to give him.

Jun's fingertips ran down from Aiba's wrists over his arms to his shoulders, sensually, then, stroking his armpits playfully, since it was a ticklish spot for the man. Jun chuckled but didn't continue teasing the other man, at least not there. His fingers trailed further, wandering over Aiba's bare chest, shortly brushing his hardening nipples, running over his flat stomach, and this time, Jun _did_ intend to go further than Aiba's waistband. It was a statement, when Jun, under Aiba's moans, valiantly pulled down Aiba's briefs with one movement and tossed the piece of fabric onto the bedroom floor.

"No need for this," Jun murmured cheekily, locking eyes with Aiba as he started to approach the proud erection standing between Aiba's legs, carefully.

Jun's fingers closed around Aiba's shaft made the man inhale sharply, holding his breath for a few seconds. When Jun started letting his hand run up and down Aiba's length slowly, his fingers automatically coating it with the precum leaking from the head, Aiba had a hard time lying still and not to start pushing into the hole Jun's hand had created. He didn't want to take it too fast, after all... he wanted to enjoy every second of this, and he wanted Jun to enjoy every second too, but it was hard to resist.

"Do you like it?" Jun asked, his eyes now fixated on what was in his hands.

Aiba could only nod. Jun's skilled fingers rushed up and down the shaft a few more times, with his fingertips playing with the head of Aiba's member. He was pressing all the right buttons, and it didn't take long before Aiba was reaching the point of no return. His body tensed, his hands that were holding him back, which was frustrating and arousing at the same time, cramped as he fisted his fingers. His voice was silenced from the overwhelming sensation when an uncontrollable hot wave ran through his body, making him lose ground and spill all over Jun's hands. Aiba's whole body was shaking, and for a moment, he thought he would blackout. Then, when it was over, the heatwave becoming gentle and subsiding, he was able to flicker his eyes open again, still breathing heavily.

Jun's satisfied smirk was just amazing, Aiba thought, as he chuckled softly, still feeling weak after coming so hard. The man reached for some tissues from Aiba's bed stand and started to clean his hands a bit, then doing the same with Aiba's member. Aiba moaned, just the slightest touch of Jun's fingers seemed to be enough to awaken his erection again and indeed, this seemed to be Jun's plan. The young man had already found lube and condoms, both lying ready next to them, and with just a few skilful strokes, Aiba's member was standing up straight again, proudly. Carefully, Jun now prepared Aiba's penis with a condom, rolling it down from the tip to his shaft in a smooth move and when Aiba was already thinking that it wouldn't be any better, Jun lowered his head and did what Aiba didn’t dare to dream about – he parted his lips, letting the tip of his lover's penis slide between them and welcoming it with the hot cave of his mouth. He almost immediately started moving, up and down, up and down. Aiba closed his eyes. 

Then, the warmth of Jun's mouth was suddenly gone. Snapping his eyes open, Aiba almost wanted to complain, demanding more, _begging_ for more, but only to find Jun kneeling in front of him, his body bent slightly backwards, his legs slightly spread and with one hand disappearing behind his back. Jun's body was slowly moving, a slicking noise breaking the sudden silence in the room. Aiba blushed when he realized that Jun had started to prepare himself. With one hand behind him, to spread his entrance, Jun's hard member, which was also leaking from precum, was neglected in front of him and Aiba was dying to touch it, to help Jun feel the same pleasure as he made him feel just now, but he couldn't free his hands, the fabric of the necktie tightening around his wrists the more he tried to free himself.

"Not yet," Jun smirked towards Aiba when he realized what the other was trying. "Be patient."

Then, Jun's free hand wandered to his own erection, stroking it slowly, savouring every touch. Jun's breath became more hectic, his cheeks red, his eyes narrowed. He looked so damned hot, it was almost unbearable for Aiba to stay still, as it was almost driving him crazy, just _watching_ Jun doing this. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to take this before he would explode. Finally, Jun stopped the preparations and came crawling closer to Aiba, who was instinctively closing his thighs when Jun climbed onto his lap. 

"Are you ready?" Jun finally asked.

Aiba's breath hitching, he replied. "Are you kidding me? I am _so_ ready!"

Jun smirked, his cheeks flushed red in anticipation. He was glowing. He was -

"You're so damned beautiful," Aiba couldn't hold back, his eyes enchanted with the view in front of him.

"And you are so damned hot, I want you. Now," Jun replied, sensually. 

When the man bent forward, his erected penis brushed against Aiba's lower belly, making him twitch slightly, before he reached behind him again, this time to take Aiba's member in his hand. Jun stroked it once more, up and down, it was rock hard, and then, he carefully pressed it in the gap between his butt cheeks, against the prepared ring of muscles, pushing it against it, more and more, until he was able to take in the tip of Aiba's penis, slowly. He stopped for a second, his breath hitching, giving himself a few seconds to get used to the sensation until he was able to lower himself onto Aiba completely, in one slow, smooth movement, making them gasp in unison.

Everything that Aiba had ever experienced in bed could _not_ compete with _this_ , the man thought. It was simply breath-taking. Jun's face was painted with a mixture of pain and pleasure, as he didn't move for another few seconds. It was so damned erotic. He locked eyes with Aiba, the passion and lust between them obvious, becoming thicker with each passing second, every heartbeat.

Eventually, Jun started moving, slowly at first, sliding up and down Aiba's shaft, riding him skillfully. His speed became faster with each movement, their breaths becoming faster too, unsteady.

"Jun, please," Aiba whimpered. "Let my hands go."

Jun chuckled between two heavy breaths. "Why, you don't like it anymore? I think the ties suit you."

"I want to touch you," Aiba simply said, looking at Jun hungrily. "I _need_ to!"

Jun blushed. Then, he leaned a bit forward, groaning when he felt Aiba's dick deep and hard inside him pressing against his walls and quickly untied Aiba's hands. Faster than expected, he found himself wrapped in a tight embrace. Aiba moaned against Jun's ear, shamelessly, kissing, almost _biting_ his neck, and burying his member deep inside Jun, making the man gasp. Then, Aiba started moving, now taking over control. He pushed inside Jun, once, twice while holding him steady on top of him, quickly finding a steady pace, thrusting into Jun's tight body again and again. The tip of his penis seemed to hit Jun's prostate on spot, causing him to yell, to scream, it was fabulous.

Aiba could feel Jun's hands wrapping around his back, his fingernails slightly scratching over the skin of his back as he wasn't able to control himself any longer, digging into his skin, seeking for support. Aiba leaned forward, pushing Jun to lie on his back. He reached to the sides, grabbing Jun's ankles, lifting them in the air to create an even more intense angle to thrust into him, deeper, harder, faster. Not long after, Jun let his hand slide between them, touching his own painful erection just slightly, masturbating in the same rhythm as Aiba's thrusts, until he was just a moaning mess. His moans were mixing with Aiba's until they both reached a point beyond composure and the room was filled with yells of their names.

It only took a few more quick pushes by Aiba to make Jun come. The man tightened the grip around Jun's ankles a bit more and Aiba could feel how Jun tensed up underneath him, curling his toes, burying his fingers in the soft fabric of the bed, trying to hold on something and to suppress a loud moan, as he reached his climax, spilling his seed all over his own belly and chest. This view was just too much for Aiba and he groaned loudly as he let go too, spilling into the condom as he buried his member as deep inside of Jun as possible for one last time. It was almost as if he could see stars exploding in front of his eyes, it felt so damned good, so damned right, it was breath-taking and for a moment, Aiba believed that his mind was catapulted to another dimension.

He enjoyed the peak of his orgasm as long as possible until the last spasm disappeared and his member slowly softened. He then pulled out of Jun's body, collapsing on top of the other man and burying his nose against Jun's sweaty neck, pulling in the incredibly intoxicating smell of his partner. A few seconds later, both of them still trying to catch their breath, Jun lifted his arms and wrapped them around Aiba's back again, pressing him closer.

"Just for the records," the young man said, his breath still shaking from the afterglow. "I believe that your skills in bed are definitely not the reason why that Asami bitch cheated on you. You've been awesome."

Aiba chuckled, feeling his cheeks turning red, and carefully, he rolled a bit to the side, shifting their embrace, so that his weight wasn't any longer pressing onto Jun. They locked eyes, and Aiba grinned.

"If _I_ was awesome, then _you_ 've been god-like."

"Did you ever have sex with a god or how else can you compare?" Jun asked, jokingly raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Aiba playfully rolled his eyes. Yes? Like, just now, he thought, but he only smirked at the man in his arms and stretched his neck to peck his lips.

The two continued cuddling in bed after they had taken care of cleaning each other. The air was still thick with the scent of sex, but it was somehow enchanting. Aiba had gotten up to get them something to drink and had turned on some light music in the background, before returning to Jun. They were still naked, Jun now lying in Aiba's arm, his face bedded on Aiba's chest while Aiba's fingers were playing with Jun's hair. 

Jun was right, the sex had been great. Great and exhausting, and Aiba would be ready to sleep if there wasn't so much else going on his mind at that very moment if he wasn't enjoying Jun's simple presence beside him so much that it would feel like a waste to fall asleep now. He was once more assured about one thing – he was serious about Jun. Deadly serious. He didn't only want to have sex with him, he wanted them to start a serious relationship. Though things were easier said than done, Aiba wasn't naïve, he had seen how complicated things could become, seeing the situation between his friend Sho and Nino, and he didn't want the thing with him and Jun ending just like that. He had to find a solution, he had to make a plan. And he had to make sure that Jun would also be willing to follow that plan.

"What happened to your father's business?" Aiba suddenly asked into the silence between them, preventing Jun from dozing off in their embrace.

"Eh?" the young man turned his head at his lover, slightly wondering but after the initial surprise, he replied earnestly. "Eventually he had to close it down."

Aiba hummed understandingly. "And you're still paying off the debts with the loan shark?"

Jun nodded. "It's a ridiculously huge amount of money," he said in a low voice. 

He sounded kind of helpless and Aiba almost felt sorry for asking, but he wouldn't stay silent about this topic. It was important. 

"What about your parents?" he continued after thinking for a moment. "Can't _they_ pay it back? I mean, it's your father's fault, isn't it? I am sure, they are not delighted to know that their son is... selling his body for money."

Jun pushed himself up on his elbows, turning to better face Aiba. "They don't know," he said firmly. "And no, they cannot pay the money back."

"Why not?"

The man ran his fingers through his hair and let out a huge sigh. "My mother left the family long ago. She divorced my father and moved to Hokkaido, as far as I know, and I am not even sure."

Aiba frowned. "She left you behind with your father? And what about him?"

"He's dead."

Aiba didn't say anything for a minute, only looking at Jun, whose face was now showing a sadness that was completely new to his features. Finally, Aiba lifted his hand, putting it onto Jun's cheek. 

"Oh gosh, Jun, I'm sorry, I didn't want to..."

Jun placed his own palm on top of Aiba's hand, pressing it closer to his face and just shook his head. "It's OK, it's been three years already."

Still, he looked sad, Aiba thought. "And now _you_ are the only one who can pay back all the remaining debts?"

"That's how it is."

Aiba sat up a bit more. "Why didn't you disclaim from the inheritance? Debts should be off your shoulders too then, right?" He only received a deep sigh as a reply.

"Have you ever meet a loan shark, Aiba-san?" Jun asked and Aiba shook his head. "They are frightening and having debts with them is completely different from having debts with the bank."

"But why work as a host?" Aiba burst. "I'm sure you could do something else, you surely could do _anything_ else you wanted, no?"

"When my father told me and my mother about his debts, I dropped out of college and started several jobs in order to help by providing some money," Jun started. "It was enough at that time, but without my parent's salary, it's not. I don't want to be indebted to the loan sharks for like... forever, you know? When you can't pay the monthly rate and the ridiculously high interests, they will pay you a visit and believe me, it never ended well."

Aiba didn't dare to ask further, remembering that he once saw a movie about a young man being in a similar situation like what Jun was describing at the moment. The character of that movie had not only been beaten up once, and Aiba wondered, how close this portrayal in the movie was to the truth... 

"The _Lotus_ \- it belongs to their boss," Jun continued. "When I couldn't find a profitable job, his son offered me a job there. It pays well and I pay them off directly. The rest of my salary is enough to rent a small one-room apartment with a small kitchen and pay for food – on which I don't want to cut back. Only healthy food provides a healthy body after all and my body is all I have to earn money with."

Aiba nodded, understanding. He opened his arms again, inviting Jun to cuddle closer again, showing him that he accepted his explanation. Jun didn't hesitate for long before he was leaning against Aiba again, obviously enjoying their closeness. Their hands intertwined and their skin touching, everything felt much better in an instant. But for Aiba, the topic wasn't over yet, obviously.

"May I ask one last question?" he asked.

"Sure," Jun nodded. "I'm all ears."

"What kind of shop was it?"

Jun didn't say anything for about a second before he finally let it out. "An Italian restaurant."

Hearing this, blew Aiba's mind. It made so much sense now that Jun's lasagne was the best he ever ate, and knowing that Jun had cooked it after his father's receipt, showed Aiba, how much the man must have meant to Jun, even if he called him "a big idiot with a big dream". It must have been very personal for the man to share this receipt with Aiba, and maybe, the man was interpreting too much into it, but he felt insanely happy and touched about this fact.

After a small pause in which no one was speaking, Aiba leaned to kiss Jun's forehead, lovingly. 

"Let's cook some delicious lasagne again, soon," he suggested and Jun nodded, snuggling back into Aiba's embrace.

* + *

Sho and Aiba were back at the _Lotus_ the next evening, trying to get Nino to talk and fix things, but he really made it difficult for them to even approach him. The host went so far to be (or pretending to be) too busy with other clients to even look at Sho. Even when Sho bravely cornered him as he exited the toilet to ask for just a few minutes to talk, Nino refused and ran away before Sho could grab his hand. Aiba tried his luck too, but in the end, Uepi was standing in front of the two friends, asking them to stop _harassing their man_ , if they didn't want to be thrown out.

The situation with Sho was severe, Aiba knew. It was unusual enough for Sho to take off a day from work, as he did after he and Aiba tried to catch Nino in the _Lotus_ , but when Aiba saw his friend pushing away some _home-made brownies_ that he brought him that evening, he was seriously shocked. Sho was truly heartbroken.

Sho was back at work the day after, but he wasn't willing to talk to Aiba about what happened and asked him to avoid the topic for the time being. It wasn't like Sho was angry at Aiba for what happened with Nino, he knew that the situation between him and the host had nothing to do with his friend. Sho was simply extremely depressed, so much that not even his professional work attitude prevented him from slacking off with his projects, spacing out during meetings (which _he_ was holding) or not even noticing the ringing phone on his desk.

Aiba felt horrible. He couldn't ignore it, in his opinion, he was – at least partly – responsible for his friend's break-down and the fact that things with him and Jun had taken such a positive turn, made him feel even worse. He tried to find a solution, or at least do something to cheer Sho up but it seemed impossible. 

Did the man give up already, Aiba wondered as he looked at Sho, who was gazing at his phone during lunch break about two weeks later. Sho had told Aiba that he had the number of Nino's work phone – at least he wasn't naïve enough to think that the host gave him his private number – but apparently, the host ignored all of his mails and when Sho gathered his courage and tried to call the other, he couldn't get through the line. Devastated, he asked Aiba if he thought that Nino had blocked him. Well, they couldn't know...

Things with Jun, on the other hand, were amazing. Simply amazing. It had been surprisingly easy for Aiba to adapt to the idea of being mentally and physically attracted to a man. Since something like that had never happened before, Aiba didn't know if he was actually bisexual or if he was simply gay for Jun exclusively, but he couldn't care less. He was in love, and so was Jun, and it just felt right. _Jun_ felt right. And the more time they spent together, the more Aiba felt like they were made for each other.

Sure, it was not so amazing that Jun was still working as a host but what did Aiba expect? Especially after learning the story about Jun's father and the reason why the young man was in debts with a dangerous loan shark, he understood. It wasn't as easy as he thought. Jun had explained to him once more how lucrative the job as a host could be, especially when someone was as popular as Nino or himself, who were counted to the top earners of the club, and how eager he was, wanting to pay off the debts as soon as possible and then start a new life. He even showed Aiba his plan about when the debt would be paid off– about two years from now, based on the current situation – and even if he didn't voice it directly, Aiba understood that this was an indirect question, asking Aiba if he would be willing to wait for Jun until then if he would accept his choice of work in the meantime before he could drop out and become solely _his_.

Honestly, Aiba wasn't sure if he would be able to bear with the situation for so long. He had fallen so deeply in love with Jun that just the thought that he had to share him with other men, was painful. But then, if he had to choose between having Jun and having to share him or not having Jun at all, his answer was clear. They had gone too far already for Aiba to step back, to forget how it felt to hold the young man in his arms, to kiss him, to do things with him in bed that before he didn't even dare dreaming of doing with any other partner. He didn't know if their relationship would last, but he knew that he was willing to try, that he was willing to fight for it. Jun was worth the effort, Aiba was convinced about it.

Of course, Aiba would prefer if his lover – he didn't dare call Jun his _boyfriend_ yet - would work in a different field, but he could understand the argument of being paid well as a host. It would be a lie though if Aiba said he didn't catch himself thinking about other possibilities for Jun. Wasn't there something else he could do? Wasn't it possible to find another job for him? Something that was lucrative too, but did not involve having to sleep with people for money?

Jun had told Aiba about his working experiences so far. After graduating from high school, he had been studying nutrition science at college for about two years, before he had to drop out in order to have enough time for various odd jobs to help his parents pay off the debts his father had gone into for his business. He had worked as a delivery guy for various newspapers, had taken dogs out for walks, worked as a waiter in a bar. Besides all this, the young man had always helped his father in the restaurant. His tasks ranged from doing errands to cleaning the restaurant after closing, and even to help out in the kitchen. 

No wonder that Jun was such a skilled cook, Aiba thought. Apparently, he had loved cooking since he was a little boy. Jun's father trained his skills in Rome, Milano and Florence when he was younger and once, Jun even told Aiba that it was his dream to go there too and to visit the restaurants that his father had trained in. However, circumstances never had allowed the man to even travel far within Japan.

"By the way, I decided how to call you," Jun pulled the other out of his thoughts one morning, after he and Aiba woke up in Aiba's bed, cuddling. 

They were still naked, too lazy to put on their clothes last night after they had sex, but the warmth, created from their two bodies holding each other close, made it unnecessary to wear clothes, anyway.

"Hm... what ya mean?" Aiba hummed, his eyes still closed, his hand tiredly caressing Jun's hair.

"You call me Jun ever since – admittedly, it was the name I introduced myself with to you in the club – but you are still _Aiba-san_ and I think, we're close enough by now so that I can call you more intimately too," Jun said, letting his hands trail over Aiba's naked chest, snuggling closer.

Aiba's heart jumped in joy when he heard the words of the young man. Didn't it show how well they got along and that Jun wanted to be even closer to him? Aiba's lips curled up in a smile. 

"Tell me," he whispered.

Determined, Jun replied. "I'm going with Ma-chan."

Aiba snapped his head and seeing Jun's serious face, he burst into laughter. When the other's look changed into incomprehension, Aiba pulled himself together and started to explain. 

"The last time someone called me that was in Kindergarten when the girl I used to play with had trouble with pronouncing syllables with "s" and she just shortened my name to make it easier."

Jun chuckled. "So it's a bad idea..."

"No, no, it's lovely," Aiba countered. In general, he loved the idea of Jun calling him with a nickname. It made him feel all fuzzy and warm. "Really, it's just -"

"Hm, then, how would you like me to call you?" Jun asked excitedly, starting to let his finger draw patterns on Aiba's warm skin. "Tell me!"

"Huh? Uhm, well, my family and my closest friends simply call me _Masaki_. So if you want to..."

"Masaki," Jun said, attentively. 

Aiba couldn't help but smile. This felt good. Awesome. "Yeah."

"Masaki," Jun repeated, his lips forming a smile too. He crawled a bit closer. "Masaki. Masaki. Masaki!"

"It's alright, it's alright!" Aiba blushed.

"It feels good!" Jun exclaimed before kissing the other man. After the kiss, he snuggled his head against Aiba's, enjoying their closeness, and continued speaking in a low volume. "You know, as a host, I'm used to call people with a nickname. Some of them even like being called by... well, kind of embarrassing nicknames. Being able to call you just by your name, it just feels good. I love it. Masaki. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful man."

" _You_ are the beautiful one here," Aiba said, blushing even more. It made his heart jump seeing Jun being so incredibly cute about the whole name thing.

"You are so cute, I can't say it often enough," the other man chuckled again. "I never met a cutie like you," Jun sighed, and they stayed silent for a moment until he continued. "Brought you back, huh? Thinking about childhood, I mean."

Aiba nodded slowly. "Oh, that was a nice time, I have to say. Sometimes, I really miss it," he said. "But now as an adult, there are so much more possibilities… so many more things you can do," he sat up, pulling his lover up with him and then, they locked eyes. "Jun, I am sorry for bringing this topic back and I really do understand that you're in trouble and that you indeed need money, but there are a couple of more decent jobs out there you could do, without having to get dirty..."

"Do you... do you think, I'm dirty?" the young man asked. Somehow, he looked hurt, knitting his eyebrows. Aiba almost expected him to start an argument, but then Jun only lowered his head. "Well, probably I am."

"No!" Aiba chimed in, "No, you're just... I think you're wasting your potential and that honest work would be a better option."

"But maybe I'm good at what I do?" the other man pouted.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Aiba shook his head. Thinking about what they had been doing that night, Aiba could confirm that Jun was _very_ good at what he was doing. "But I tell you, you have another potential. There are other chances. Think about it."

"What kind of work do you think I do have the potential for?" Jun asked, challenging the other.

"Well," Aiba tilted his head. "For example, you're such a great cook, what about becoming a chef?"

"Are you serious?!" Jun raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I am serious. Didn't you learn your skills from your father? You're great!" the other tried to assure him.

"But I never officially _learned_ that stuff," Jun voiced his doubts. "I'm not a professional, and I can't afford the time from being an apprentice to being a chef. I won't be able to pay my debts for ten years or more!"

True, that would be a problem. Being an apprentice would mean a lot of work and a low salary. It was definitely not what Jun was looking for when trying to get out of the loan shark's books. Even if Aiba could sense that the idea of working as a chef probably pleased the other man. It didn't surprise him. Jun's love for cooking, his affection towards his late father, his dream about travelling to those places in the world that made his father a great Italian chef. However, for now, he needed something that could earn him a lot of money in a short time. He sighed, as he looked at Jun, taking in the man's beautiful features, his deep eyes, the perfect shape of his face... wait, somehow, this rang a bell.

"Then what about becoming a model?" Aiba finally spat out, enthusiastically.

Jun frowned at him, critically. "A model... your ideas are becoming crazier and crazier, you know that?"

But Aiba shook his head. "I'm not crazy. You're such a beautiful man, I think you would be a very popular model."

"But modelling? That sounds like a hard business, hard to get into, especially, and I doubt that a newbie would be paid well," the other man said.

Aiba smiled. "Well, it probably won't be that tough, if you have the right connections."

"What are you talking about?" the other man raised a critical eyebrow.

"I think, I've got an idea, Jun."

And Aiba's smile transformed into a smirk.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Eventually, Sho and Aiba were back at the _Lotus_ _again_. After talking to Jun about Nino, a topic, Aiba had not talked about in front of the other man before, and hearing also from his lover, how close to being a couple in love Sho and Nino had appeared, Aiba had decided to give it one more try. He – or preferably Sho – would talk to Nino once more and try to get things back on track.

Aiba wasn't even sure yet how this would look like. He asked Sho, but the man had not been very cooperative, the terrified look on his face showed that he was devastated internally, and in addition scared as hell to raise hope when none should be. 

"Don't tell me you don't want to talk to him anymore. I know you're lying," Aiba had confronted his friend one last time in his office, just a few hours ago.

"Of course I want to talk to him. There are a lot of things I want, Masaki, but sometimes you have to accept that you lost," Sho replied, bitterly.

"But you are not someone who gives up so easily, Sho-chan!" his friend exclaimed, pumping his fist against the CEO's desk. "That's not the Sho-chan I know!"

Sho sighed and buried his face in his hands. It was true. Usually, Sho was a fighter. He wouldn't be so successful in his business if he wasn't. He always pushed things a little further, always went back to talk to a client if something didn't work as expected or if someone thought about dropping a contract. He had provided solutions, had worked nights through to meet ridiculous deadlines and had never failed to convince people from his ideas and his hard work. And things paid off.

"But that was work," Sho said, bitterly. "I might be good with work-related things, but with love... I've always been a failure. I even tried to be someone I wasn't. For years! I tried to ignore that I like men, then I tried to ignore that I love Nino and now look where it led me to. I knew this would be too good to be true, and I have to respect his decision. He doesn't want me. He doesn't even want to be paid by me anymore, it's definitely over."

"He likes you!" Aiba burst, facing his friend with a serious look.

Sho glared at Aiba, his expression unreadable. 

"Didn't you listen to me, Masaki?" the man replied. "Didn't you listen to _him_?"

Aiba waved his hand as if he wanted to null Sho's argument. "And, I am _convinced_ he likes you. That's exactly _why_ he reacted like that. You entered so deep into his private space that it scared him."

"So I _scared_ him. Great assumptions for a relationship," Sho snorted ironically. "Is someone who likes you likely to be scared by you?"

"No, listen, you're focussing on the wrong things, Sho-chan," Aiba tried once more. "He's scared of liking you so much that he can't bear being a host anymore, which would ruin his source of income for the hospital fees."

Sho sighed. "Even if this is true, do you think I should cause him to slack off paying the fees for his mother? It's not my right to bring him into such a jam."

"No, probably not. But you wanted to see him and talk to him," Aiba replied. "What did you want to tell him? If you didn't want to ask him to come back to you, didn't you at least want to not end things in such a bad way? Don't you want to see him again? For one last time? To say goodbye on good terms, perhaps?"

"I do," the other man sighed. "That's exactly what I wanted to do. I really want to see him once more. I want to tell him that I wish him all the best and that I'm here if he ever needs me."

"So let's go and talk to him."

With this, in the end, Aiba convinced Sho to give the whole thing one last try and that's why they were now back in the _Lotus_ , approaching the bar as soon as they entered the location under Uepi's strict gaze, who couldn't help but tell them once more that they better not harass any of their hosts.

"Nino isn't here, if you're searching for him, Sho-chan," Ohno said, as soon as he spotted Sho and Aiba in front of the bar. He was mixing a cocktail, quickly finishing his task and served the drink before returning to the two confused looking men. "In fact, he hasn't been here for three days."

"What?" Sho exchanged a confused look with Aiba, who didn't look less surprised. "Is he sick?" the man asked, worried.

Ohno just shook his head, "In fact, I don't know. Three days ago he called and said he wants to quit and since then when I tried to contact him, I cannot reach him. I thought, maybe you know more."

Shocked, Sho shook his head. Aiba, not less surprised than his friend, frowned. Nino _quit_!? What was that supposed to mean?

"Jun didn't mention anything," Aiba added, wondering.

"Well, it's not official yet," Ohno explained. "However, too bad you don't know anything either, I thought, _if_ someone might know then it would be you," the barkeeper arched an eyebrow. "After all, he likes you so much..."

Aiba exchanged a look with his friend, whose face he couldn't read.

"I'm really starting to get worried," Ohno continued. "Even if he doesn't want to work for us anymore, he's a precious part of our club's family."

Aiba smelled a chance. He turned to his friend and pulled his shirt's sleeve. "Listen, Sho-chan, what about if we go check on him? Ohno-san, surely you have Nino's address, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but this information is highly confidential," the barkeeper replied, raising an eyebrow.

"But it's _Sho_ we're talking about here," Aiba continued. Sho had crossed a line already, maybe, it was time to take another step. "Please give us the address and we'll go check if Nino is alright."

Sho didn’t say anything yet, but when he looked at the piece of paper with an address written on it, that Ohno eventually gave him, his hands started trembling nervously and the paper crinkled. 

"Let's go!" Aiba said with a smile, patting Sho's shoulder and after looking at his friend for another second, Sho nodded and together they left the _Lotus_.

* + *

The taxi ride took about twenty minutes to reach the designated address. It was a ride without much talking between the friends, something very unusual, but Aiba could understand that Sho was probably deep in thoughts and he respected that. Sho might even feel a bit overwhelmed by the situation now but Aiba was confident that it could only make things better if they found Nino at home and were able to talk to him.

It didn't take them long to find the host's apartment, located in a rather small and old looking apartment complex which had definitely seen better times. The apartment was on the second floor and the two men had to take care not to trip over a ruined step and get hurt when they climbed the stairs. The nameplate next to Nino's apartment door was hanging slightly off, and the milky kitchen window next to it, the usual for small Japanese apartments, showed a large crack that someone seemingly tried to fix with some tape. Aiba had to admit that it wasn't what he had expected. Sure, he knew now that Nino wasn't a fancy man who only worked as a host to obtain a luxurious lifestyle, but he also didn't expect such a run-down apartment to be Nino's.

"You want to ring the doorbell?" Aiba offered, allowing Sho to step before him, who looked really pale from the nervousness.

"Do you think, he's alright?" Sho worried.

"We'll find out soon if you ring the bell," his friend replied.

"Do you think it's my fault that he quit?" the other man asked further. "I've been too persistent. I've been a nuisance to him, he must... although, I doubt that I have such a huge influence on his life, so probably that's all shit-"

"Sho, shut up now and ring the bell," Aiba hissed, pushing his friend slightly, but in the end, the door to the small apartment was pushed open without Sho having to take actions.

Facing the two visitors now, was a small man with an untamed mop of black hair on top of his head, wearing glasses, a blue oversized sweater and grey sweatpants. Nevertheless, Sho, as well as Aiba, immediately recognized the man as the young host in the dim light, his features were too prominent. 

"What are _you_ doing here?" Nino asked in a weak voice. He was paler than usual and Sho took a deep breath when he realized that the man's eyes were red-shot.

"Nino… what happened?" he asked immediately, without any further greeting.

The young man didn't reply right away and sighed deeply instead. "Sho, seriously, what are you doing here?" he asked again, his voice sounding broken.

"We wanted to check if you are OK," Aiba jumped in when Sho didn't seem to be able to reply, but then, his friend chimed in, facing Nino seriously.

"Ohno said that you suddenly told them you wanted to quit, and they are starting to worry about you, and when I heard that, I got worried too and he gave me your address so that we can come here and check on you and now that I see you like this -," Sho sputtered, "I think we've been right, worrying about you. What's wrong?"

Nino didn't reply, instead, he dropped his head, biting his lips. His body took a sunken posture, and it seemed like he was trying to hold back something, but in the end, whatever he was fighting, he lost and his body started shaking.

"Nino," Sho whispered, desperately. "Nino, what...?"

Then, to Sho's honest surprise, the young man in front of him broke out into tears. His whole body was trembling heavily, tears were spilling from his eyes and he sobbed into his hands, heartbreakingly. Nobody had expected such a reaction, but instinctively, Sho seemed to know what to do. He took a firm step forward and immediately wrapped his arms around Nino. 

First, the ex-host tried to fight it, trying to push Sho away, murmured something about not needing this, not wanting this, but Sho didn't listen to him and pressed him even closer into his embrace. Eventually, Nino gave up struggling and instead let himself be wrapped by Sho's strong arms, even reaching his own arms behind the man's back and burying his fingers into the fabric of Sho's clothes, holding onto him while sobbing desperately into the embrace. Sho tried to soothe him, stroking his head, gently. Somehow, it dawned him what might have happened.

"Nino, can we come in?" he finally asked after a few minutes, when the man seemed to have calmed down a bit.

Aiba didn't even dare to expect it to happen, but indeed, after loosening the embrace and the last sob, Nino nodded and then gestured Sho and Aiba to come inside, even if he didn't clean up at all, he added as a small warning. 

Indeed, the place was a mess. It was extremely narrow, to begin with, the super small kitchen island started almost right next to the door. The rest of the apartment consisted of a small living area, which apparently also served as the bedroom, as the futon, which Nino was now folding and putting away, showed. Besides that, there was a very small coffee table, a very old TV set, a few bookshelves, almost breaking under the weight of books and CDs that were stuffed into them as tightly and neatly as possible, a computer and an old keyboard.

With a smooth movement, Nino cleared an empty cup of instant ramen and a can of Asahi beer from the table and brought them into the small kitchen where he started preparing some tea for his guests. Aiba didn't know if Nino was always so polite to visitors (he was a trained host after all), or if he was trying to buy time to avoid the conversation that was hanging in the air. But both, he and Sho, respected the time Nino took for preparing the tea and just waited patiently until he finished. A couple of minutes later, Nino brought a small teapot and three different kinds of teacups to the low table and murmuring his apology about not having matching dishes, he poured the tea to his visitors, in a perfect manner. 

Politely, Aiba and Sho took the first sip of tea and after Aiba praised the taste, Sho went straight to the point. He put down his cup and carefully reached out his hand to put it on top of Nino's arm, whose fingers were still clamping on his own teacup. It was visible how the young man's whole body was tensing up and for a moment, Aiba thought Nino would push Sho away, but he didn't. 

"Did something happen to your mom?" Sho finally asked in a low voice.

Nino's face paled even more than before and he looked a little surprised for a second but didn't dare to look at Sho. His eyes became wet again, his mouth thinned as he bit his lower lip and when he let his head sink, the first tears dropped onto the table’s surface.

"Oh my gosh," Aiba whispered, looking at Sho, who knitted his eyebrows in sympathy.

"Nino... I'm so sorry," the man said, slightly pressing Nino's arm.

The other man took a deep breath but still didn't lift his eyes and instead he continued staring at his tea after he wiped his tears with his free hand. 

"She died three days ago," Nino finally said. "It... she was always a fighter, you know? After an accident, she had to undergo surgery. The doctors didn't think she would survive the night, but she did. However, she fell into a coma and since then... it wasn't completely hopeless but then somehow she got infected and her body just couldn't..."

"Nino, really, I'm so sorry to hear that," Sho replied. 

He didn't dare to ask how Nino felt, it was obvious after all, but he looked at him with all his affection and then finally, Nino looked at him too. His eyes were still wet but he tried to smile. 

"It's OK... well, it's not really but... you know what I mean, just... you don't have to say anything, just don't worry, OK?"

"Of course, I worry about you," Sho whispered.

Nino took a deep breath. "I - I'll be fine again. My mother is probably in a much better place now, she doesn't have to suffer anymore and I -" he became silent.

"You now have to rebuild your life."

"Exactly."

"Do you have any idea yet about what you are going to do?" Sho asked after a minute of silence. "I mean if you need any help or something..."

Nino shook his head slightly, averting his eyes. "I... no, I don't know. I am sorry Sho, I don't think I'll be going back to the club if you are asking that."

"Of course, I understand," Sho said quickly, blushing. "You don't have to be sorry for that."

"I don't need so much money anymore now. I can go back to what my life was before... it's - it's just so strange," the man replied. 

"You know, I am of the opinion that it's indeed best for you not to return to the club," Sho said determined, causing Nino to look at him again. Aiba held his breath, surprised that his friend was taking up the topic for real. "I mean, I want you to have a normal job. Something you enjoy and something where you don't have to sell your body. I shouldn't be the one talking since I supported you in that job, I know, and it might even sound selfish that I am the one saying this but I've always felt jealous knowing that you... Even if I don't have any right to be, I know, you don't belong to me or anything..."

"Sho-chan," Aiba whispered, his heart clenching. He could feel Sho's love for the other man through his words and he could understand him so well since he was feeling the same about Jun.

"I am sorry," Sho continued, his look serious and his cheeks slightly blushed. "I know it's not about me right now but now that I'm here with you, even if circumstances are sad, I am so happy to see you again and I am just wondering... I know you don't need the money anymore. But does this also mean that you don't need _me_ anymore?"

Nino took a deep breath. "Sho..."

"I want to be with you, Nino!" the other man exploded. "I mean it, I want to support you, I want to -"

"I am not worthy of your love, Sho," Nino cut him, flashing him a sad smile and slowly pulling back his arm to end the contact between him and Sho. "You are blinded by the host _Nino_ , you don't really know the real me. I mean, look at me, look at this place, I have nothing, I _am_ nothing, I don't think you would be able to love me."

Sho shook his head, determined. "That's not true. I'm convinced you to let me have a glance at the real you when we were together and I love everything you showed me. You're smart, you're passionate, you're kind and affectionate and I don't believe that all of that was fake. However, I assure you, I love every possible version of you."

Nino frowned, and again, he looked like he was close to tears. "That would be too good to be true but -"

"But I mean it," Sho said. "Let me prove it. Give me a chance."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Let's start a relationship. A real one," the other man suggested, causing Aiba to look at him, surprised. 

He didn't expect his friend to be that direct, to be that brave, but undoubtedly, that was the way to go, he thought, hoping that Nino would think the same. But the ex-host didn't seem convinced, his eyes showing strong insecurity and he was obviously hesitating.

"I am not sure, Sho," he said in a low voice, dropping his look.

Hurt, Sho asked, "So you really don't like me?"

"I didn't say that!" Nino replied immediately, to his visitor's surprise.

"So, you like me?" Sho asked.

"Sho," Nino sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at him again, finally. "Look, you're right, OK? I like you. I do really like you. Besides the money for my mother's hospital fees, you've been the only reason why I wanted to get up every day and go to the... club. You made it possible for me to keep up with the job because you have been the best regular a host could wish for, but that's exactly why -"

"So what's the problem? Are you still mad at me that I followed you to the hospital? Really, Nino, I told you I am sorry for doing this, I didn't have any bad intentions..."

"I know!" Nino cut him. "I know, that's not it. It's... I took money from you for a long time, for things that I would have been willing to do for free, you must think that I'm a... well, basically I _am_ a whore, I made use of you to get money, I'm a horrible person," Nino spilt out. "I am not worthy of your love."

Sho seemed to be completely confused by the complexity of the feelings from the other man. He exchanged a look with Aiba, who wasn't less confused. So Nino really liked Sho – at least, this suspicion was finally confirmed – but he didn't expect Nino to feel so damned guilty about his _business relationship_ with him. How bad must Nino have been feeling each and every time they met, each and every time they... But didn't his guilty conscience show even more, how deep the love he was feeling for Sho was? Just like his outburst when Sho and Aiba put their noses into his private stuff? Wasn't that something they could work with?

Finally, Sho spoke up again. "I don't care, Nino. I don't care how much money I paid you, I did it voluntarily. Even if I didn't know why, since you needed the money, I wanted you to have it. I wanted to support you. If it wasn't about you, I could have booked every other host in the club, but it has only been you, ever. More than anything, you're the first one I fell in love with since so many years. Ask Masaki here, we're friends for so long, but basically he can tell you no stories about my love life at all, right, Masaki?"

Aiba smiled. "Sho is right, he was married to his job. I admit I wasn't fond of the idea of Sho being in love with a host but, Nino, you are not only a host, you are a human being with reasons having to work as a host and now, even if the circumstances are sad, you're not forced to do this job any longer and Sho here," he gestured at his friend, who blushed. "He's really in love with you so if you like him back, please, I can't watch you two not being together anymore. It just doesn't make sense."

"Nino, please!" Sho said, reaching for Nino's hand again and when Nino locked eyes with him and didn't pull back, he allowed his heart to hope.

"And I thought you hate me," Nino chuckled as he turned to Aiba, who looked at him slightly guilty.

"I'm just slightly overprotective of my best friend," Aiba said, shrugging. "But I entrust him to you. He's head over heels for you and he'll do everything in his power to make you happy, I swear."

Then, Nino looked at Sho again, who just nodded his head, affirmatively and then, the ex-host finally smiled and when he slowly intertwined his fingers with Sho, the other man's eyes widened. 

Nino took a deep breath and with wet eyes and a broken voice, he said to the man, he obviously loved, "Then, please take good care of me."

* + *

That night, Aiba left Sho and Nino alone at Nino's place, giving them the time and space they needed to fix that thing between them completely. He was insanely happy for the two men, and he was convinced that this time, things between them would work out just fine. 

It's been about two weeks since then, and Sho was back to normal, no, he was even better than normal. He was super motivated at work, he was happy, creative, and as soon as work was done, he would rush to meet his _boyfriend_ , that’s how he was calling Nino now, officially, with pure affection glowing in his eyes. The man was already fulfilling his promise of supporting Nino, very well. He was there for him to help him organize the funeral for his mother, and he even offered him to help him find a new job. Nino though, who appreciated Sho's good intentions, told him that he wanted to try by himself first, wanting to orientate himself a little and to check his CV, as well as the job market. Sho told Aiba that he found out that Nino graduated from a music university some years ago, so hopefully, it wouldn't be too big a problem for him to find a job, maybe as a pianist at a bar, or something similar.

Aiba, too, was trying his best for Jun, who was still working as a host, but at least, didn't think of Aiba as completely crazy anymore when the man, again and again, tried to convince him to give modelling a chance. He promised him to support him, to introduce him to the right people, and eventually, Jun finally agreed to allow Aiba to take a couple of pictures of him which he planned to show to one of his advertising company's clients.

Honestly, Sho wasn’t convinced about Aiba's idea, in the beginning, voicing his concerns about whether an experienced company would be willing to give a new amateur model a chance, but Aiba's powers of persuasion, the indeed incredibly convincing pictures of Jun and of course Sho's willingness to help Aiba and his lover (in the meantime, Aiba finally found the courage to tell his best friend the whole story about him and Jun), was enough to make it to the table of the next meeting with the company. And apparently, the client was pleased with the idea of using a new, but definitely handsome face for their new campaign.

With that, a few days later, Jun found himself together with Aiba and Sho in a small studio to do some poster shots for the campaign.

"I can't do this, Masaki," Jun whispered nervously when Aiba was fixing his slightly twirled shirt collar.

Aiba cupped Jun's handsome face with both hands, squeezing it slightly, and he didn't even think about his surroundings when he pecked his lover's kissable lips.

"Of course you can do this, you're a natural talent, think about the countless performances you did on stage, think about the countless men's heads you turned – mine included -, it will be a piece of cake for you to pose for some pictures," the other replied, patting Jun's shoulders and flashing him an encouraging smile. "I believe in you!"

Jun finally replied with his own smile, and Aiba was ready to melt. If Jun and this campaign were not going to be successful, he would eat a broom, he swore to himself, as he stepped back to take his place next to Sho, who was standing there with crossed arms, supervising the whole production. Due to Aiba, he completely changed the whole concept of this project, putting all of his trust into Aiba and Jun. But of course, he was a little nervous about taking such a risk. Aiba teasingly pushed his elbow into his friend's ribs, to make him loosen up a little and indeed, Sho's expression softened when he saw the smile on Aiba's face.

"It will be fine," Aiba said, nodding.

"It will be fine," Sho replied.

And it was _totally_ fine, just as Aiba expected. The photo shooting was perfect, there weren't many shots that Jun had to redo, and the photographer apparently fell in love with the new model within seconds. Aiba even had to pull Jun away from her when she tried to invite Jun for a drink after work, telling her that sadly they already had other plans. Jun jokingly asked if Aiba was jealous, which Aiba only answered with a passionate kiss after pressing Jun against the wall behind the next corner, out of sight.

* + *

That evening, when Aiba picked Jun up after his shift at the _Lotus_ , it was the first time, Jun took Aiba home to _his_ apartment, to spend the evening there. Up to now, Jun had been the one visiting Aiba, but the latter insisted on wanting to see how his lover lived, at least once, and so, Jun finally gave in.

As Jun said, his one-room apartment was really small. It was about the size of Nino's apartment, Aiba thought, but it was far from the mess he had seen at the ex-host's place. Well, to Nino's defence, Jun wasn't suffering a break-down of having a relative passed away, and he had made the effort to make his small place look nice and comfortable when he invited Aiba over. The two men were now standing behind the stove, with Jun making a small midnight pasta for them and Aiba hugging him from behind while watching him.

"This sauce smells delicious, Jun, seriously. What did you put into it?" Aiba asked, resting his chin on Jun's shoulder.

"Olive oil, onions, garlic, sugar, salt, some red wine, basil, pepper, lemon juice, some other seasonings, loooots of tomatoes… and a huge amount of love," the young man replied with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Hmmm," Aiba hummed appreciatively. "I think the last ingredient is my favourite."

"You'll be able to get endless refills."

Aiba's heart jumped in excitement and he couldn't resist hugging Jun closer. "You're my favourite cook in the world."

"And you are my favourite guest," Jun replied, turning his head to quickly peck Aiba's cheek.

The young man smiled, but there was a small bitter aftertaste coming from his lover's words. He was his _favourite_ he said, which would be great by itself, but honestly, Aiba would prefer to be the _only one_ for Jun. In every situation possible.

"By the way...," Aiba started after watching the other man cooking in silence for another few minutes. His throat suddenly felt a bit thick. "I spoke to Ohno this evening before you finished your shift."

Jun only quickly turned his head but returned to his pot again. "Hm, really? And what did you two talk about?"

Aiba took a deep breath before he managed to tell Jun the truth. "I told him that I want you to leave the club."

"Masaki!" Jun turned in Aiba's embrace, who loosened it a little to give his lover the chance to face him.

"I know, I know," the man replied, lifting his hands in defence. "It's _your_ decision, of course, I just wanted to see how he reacts... and how the chances are..."

"Why Ohno?" Jun asked.

Aiba frowned. "Because he's the son's boss, right? The one who gave you the job."

"You know?!" the other raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Well, Ohno and I have become quite close over so many drinks together recently," Aiba explained. 

Indeed, he had continued visiting the club, to watch over Jun a little and to get some drinks, and his favourite place had been at the bar, right in front of Ohno who had become more and more chatty, the more frequent Aiba visited. With that, somehow, a strange but interesting new friendship had been born.

Jun's face was unreadable, and Aiba didn't know if Jun had become angry with him. Maybe. After all, he had entered in an area that was Jun's. They had spoken about the topic of Jun's job, but Aiba had tried hard not to be too annoying, and not to give Jun the feeling that he would respect him less if he continued with his this kind of work. Jun, thankfully, had shown interest in Aiba's suggestions, though – of course, or he wouldn't have tried the thing with the advertising campaign that Aiba _cast_ him in, but still, things about Jun's future were unclear.

Thankfully, Jun stayed calm, as he turned to the stove again, continuing to stir the sauce.

"What did he say?" he asked eventually.

Carefully, Aiba reached his hands out again, putting them on Jun's hips, who thankfully didn't push him away. "He said that you've become a precious friend to him over the years and that if you find another job, he might talk to his father about loosening the payback contract a little to make it easier for you to pay back the money even if you don't want to work as a host anymore."

"Really?!" Again, Jun whirled around, so surprised that he almost hit Aiba with the wooden spoon in his hand. 

Aiba, dodging, nodded and smiled. "It's up to you. We still don't know if you will be able to work as a model, but you dazzled everyone on the set so much, I am convinced that some model agencies will fight for you once the campaign is launched."

Jun tilted his head. "I'm still not sure if this is the right job for me, Masaki," he sighed. "Being a host, entertaining people, I got kind of used to it. But becoming someone who's on display on posters, or appear in TV commercials, it's different. And with my past, I'm not sure if people will take it well."

"Of course you don't have to do a job you don't want to," Aiba assured him. "But I'm glad you gave it a try. Thank you for that."

Jun smiled, sincerely, his look soft and affectionate. "I have a boyfriend now, after all, I think it's a logical choice to try get some _honest_ work."

Hearing Jun talk like that, Aiba grinned like a fool. "Oh, you have a boyfriend?" he asked, challenging.

"Oh, yes, didn't I tell you?" Jun smirked before he turned back to his cooking. The noodles seemed to be done by now, as he pushed the pot from the hot plate and reached for a sieve that he brought to the sink together with the pot of pasta. "You'd love him, he's gorgeous."

"Tell me more about him," Aiba provoked.

"Hm," Jun smiled mischievously.

He reached to the small kitchen cabinet to get two deep plates which he pushed into Aiba's hands before he sieved the pasta and divided it onto the two plates. Then he reached for the finished sauce and put it on top of the pasta before gesturing Aiba to bring the plates to the low table in the living area. Shortly after, he followed with two glasses and an opened bottle of red wine that he placed on the table.

"He's a wonderful person," Jun finally continued, locking eyes with Aiba, who was watching him curiously as he poured them the wine. "His friends are very important to him, he is a man of principles, but he's open-minded and will always find solutions for any problems you may have. Further, he's a wonderful lover, he's cute, and he looks incredibly gorgeous in jeans." 

Aiba couldn't help but grin, his cheeks flushing red. "How come I don't know him?" he asked, as they clinked glasses.

"If I introduced him to you, you might fall in love with him," Jun smirked, squinting his eyes playfully.

"Impossible, that man is already in love with _you_ after all," Aiba replied, chuckling.

"Seriously, Masaki, I'm very grateful for your support and yes, I want to try different jobs," Jun said, back to being serious. "If Ohno can really talk to his father and make the thing about paying back a bit easier to me, it would be possible..." he smiled at Aiba. "That would be great."

"Maybe you can even start working as a chef?" the other man chimed in, enthusiastically.

"I don't think that the situation will be _that_ easy," Jun frowned. "The salary of an apprentice would be too low, I have to pay my debts and the rent for this apartment -"

"What if you didn't?" Aiba cut him, making Jun look at him in surprise.

"Didn't what?"

"Didn't have to pay the rent for this apartment here."

"But I can't live on the streets, Masaki," Jun chuckled.

"No, of course not," Aiba agreed. "But you can live with your boyfriend. He wouldn't charge you for rent as long as you are an apprentice."

When it dawned on Jun what Aiba was implying, his face slipped. "You... you can't be serious."

"I'm _very_ serious," Aiba replied, nodding.

"I can't accept that!" Jun shook his head, shocked. "That's too generous, we're only together recently, are you sure you want -"

"I mean it," the other man confirmed. He was sure about this. "Think about it."

* + *

Three months later, Sho and Aiba's client's big advertising campaign was finally about to launch. Today, posters were being plastered everywhere in Tokyo, showing a young man with a gorgeous smile, advertising their latest product, and finally, in the early evening hours, the first commercials, belonging to the same campaign, premiered on TV. 

In a small but comfortable Italian restaurant, just a few blocks away from Aiba's apartment, there was a TV set hanging in an upper corner, showing exactly one of those commercials. It was hard to hear the noises coming from the TV since the restaurant, as so often, was filled with people and there was chatter everywhere. But people could clearly see the ad running and even without the volume turned up, it was an eye-catcher. Not only the handful of guests was distracted from their meal, watching the commercial, one of the waiters, a young girl, was also completely drawn into the short clip which started about three seconds ago, introducing some kind of club. 

The camera was moving in a way, that created the illusion of the viewer being a guest of the said club, sitting in the middle of it, surrounded by fancily dressed people and a chill atmosphere. There was a young, black-haired man sitting behind the piano on a distanced stage in the background and when people listened closely to the soft volume, they could recognize a jazzy tune which only contributed to the scenery in a pleasant way. 

Then, there appeared a man in the viewer's sight, tall and slender with the figure of a model, walking casually, approaching the supposed guest, drawing in the attention completely. When the man came closer, the eyes of the club's visitor followed him, as if the guest was hooked and not able to look away from that extremely gorgeous looking man. His dark hair slightly curled around his handsome face, his brown eyes seemed to look right through the visitor and the moles adorning his face appeared insanely attractive. 

The man – apparently a host in the club - further approached the table until he sat down in front of the visitor. The cute mole under his lip was dancing as his mouth curled into a charming smile.

 _"How can I entertain you tonight?"_ he asked, tilting his head in an irresistible way.

 _"Ah,"_ a voice, supposedly to be the viewers’, said. _"Sorry, but I am only here for the drinks."_

The host smiled even wider. _"Well, then let me show you the best drink we have!"_

The camera whirled around, the view spinning slightly, creating the illusion of being pulled up by the handsome man, through the club, until they reached a bar and the host lifted his hand to the barkeeper, showing him two fingers. The barkeeper smiled understandingly and just a second later, placed two cocktail glasses, filled with red, sparkling liquid, on the bar in front of the viewer and the host, who then lifted his glass with a cheeky smile to a toast.

After emptying the glasses, not without sighing in satisfaction, the club's visitor put his glass back onto the bar, placing it between a yellow-white-red designed bottle and a couple of strawberries that were spread on the counter. The bottle's label showed the logo of the drink and then there was a stylishly designed slogan in the picture, presenting the new product.

_"KIRIN Ichigo-Beer Cocktail – the best Drink we have!"_

"Oh my God, Matsumoto-san, was that _you_?!" the waitress who had stopped working to watch the commercial, almost freaked out as she ran back into the kitchen.

A young man, dressed in casual clothes with a white apron over it that showed a small Italian flag logo on the chest, lifted his head, a bit confused. His dark curls were pulled back into a small, adorable ponytail, and his floury hands were kneading some pizza dough on the work station in front of him.

"You've been on TV!" the waitress exclaimed in disbelief, causing the man to blush slightly.

"Ah, the new Kirin commercial aired already?" he chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Well, yeah, that's me."

An Italian chef right next to him looked at his employee with surprised eyes. "I didn't know you're in commercials!"

"It was just a job."

"Amazing, Jun-kun, you're full of surprises!"

"It was an interesting experience, indeed," Jun smiled.

"And now you're standing here in my kitchen," the chef laughed. "Aren't you booked for more jobs like that?"

Jun tilted his head but continued kneading the dough. "I indeed received a few offers and maybe I'll take up one or two when I can find the time besides work."

If Jun was completely honest, "a few offers" was literally the understatement of the year. Ever since his first professional photo shoot, words had spread in the model world, by the photographer who took the first photos for the new Kirin campaign, as well as other people who witnessed Jun doing a perfect first model job. Aiba also had filed Jun's photos with a model agency that immediately called him to put him under contract, and after attending a few castings, Jun wasn't able to count his job offers on two hands anymore.

However, two months ago, Jun applied for a job as an apprentice for an Italian chef in a nice restaurant, which he preferred, and since he was already experienced in cooking, he was taken in with pleasure. 

"Oh, you can take off time when you need it," the Italian chef said, patting Jun's shoulder, "How cool is that my apprentice is working as a model! The girls will fly into my restaurant when they find out that you are working here. You don't mind it I spread the word about it?"

"Of course not," Jun laughed. "I'm glad if I can be of help."

"But don't get involved with customers, you know what I mean," the man's boss said, jokingly, winking at the young man.

"Don't worry," the apprentice smirked. "I'm already taken."

Jun's boss nodded, understandingly, flashing his apprentice a happy smile.

Since Jun decided to quit his old job and start a new life together with Aiba, every day had been fun. His new job was fulfilling an old childhood dream, and each and every evening, when he returned home in the late evening hours, he would tell his boyfriend stories from the kitchen, about his boss, the funniest guests, the clumsy but charming waitress, or about new kitchen tricks and recipes he learned that day. At the times when Jun returned from home, Aiba was already lying on the comfortable couch in the living room, waiting for his boyfriend and hugging a cute dog pillow, which was – as the man used to joke – a pretty bad substitute for Jun, who he then pulled into an embrace to cuddle him lovingly, and cover him with kisses.

Even if Jun had hesitated in the beginning, eventually, he accepted Aiba's offer to move in with him, quit his job as a host at the _Lotus_ and started working in his favourite Italian restaurant, which was located in walking distance to their apartment, while randomly working as a model, whenever there was a good and interesting offer and he had the time to do so. Things couldn't be better, Jun thought. He was finally working in a job he liked, and thanks to his boyfriend's support and Ohno's good words with his father, Jun was now able to lead a truly happy life.

It was the best choice, Jun could make, for his sake, as well as Aiba's. The man was such a cutie, he deserved a perfect relationship, and Jun was more than happy to be able to finally provide him one, exclusive and happy.

The same applied to Aiba's best friend Sho and Jun's ex-colleague from the host club, Nino, who were now leading a fulfilled relationship too after they started dating seriously a few months ago. Unlike Aiba and Jun though, the two men were not living together yet, as Nino had insisted on taking things slow, in order to make the best out of it. Well, Aiba once said, to each their own speed, and he was probably right. After all, compared to Jun and Aiba, Sho and Nino had gone through some kind of _break-up_ already. Their relationship now seemed stronger than ever, but there was also no need to rush. 

A couple of weeks ago, Nino had finally taken Sho's offer to be introduced to a fancy bar that Sho had found on one of his _culinary trips through the city_ , as Aiba used to talk about them when Sho told him about new locations he found, and Nino was hired as a pianist right away. After recovering from the loss of his mother, Nino now seemed to be happy again, especially with Sho by his side, and seeing their friends being happy, was the best, in Aiba's as well as Jun's eyes.

* + *

"Thanks for coming to pick me up," Jun said when he exited the restaurant a few hours later. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."

A man standing next to him, leaning against the walls which lead to the restaurant's entry, flashed him a loving smile.

"No problem. I just arrived," Aiba said, shaking his head slightly. "Sho and I had another business meeting nearby."

Jun arched an eyebrow. "So you're full already?" he asked, pouting cutely. "I brought some of our lasagna left-overs. Today it turned out to be especially delicious, I think."

Aiba laughed. "I'm never too full for a small midnight snack with my boyfriend, especially if it's lasagna!"

"Great! Then let's go home," Jun smiled, as he reached his hand to Aiba's, intertwining their hands in a lover's grip before continued their way together.

Holding hands, Jun started telling Aiba about what he learned in the restaurant that day and Aiba told Jun that he had hung up one of Kirin's current promotion posters at work, in a place where he could always see it – of course with the picture of Jun on it, smiling gorgeously, holding a glass of strawberry beer cocktail in hands. 

Jun blushed, ran two steps forward and came abruptly to a halt, just to turn and face his boyfriend and to capture his lips in a tender kiss.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few notes for people who are not familiar with some terms:
> 
> Ni-Choume is a part of Tokyo's district Shinjuku, famous for its nightlife dedicated to gay and LGBTQ+ people. It's said it holds the world's highest concentration of gay clubs.
> 
> Suica card is a card in Japan which you can buy and charge with money and use for travelling by underground trains, bus, etc.


End file.
